Till Death Do Us Part
by Ephemeral Blossoms
Summary: After a fatal training accident, Sasuke is diagnosed with an illness that leaves him disabled and dying. Can Naruto make him live again, or will he be forced to watch the only one he truly loves die? /Live on without me. Live on forever/ NaruSasu.
1. Ruined

A/N: This is my first Naruto fan fiction! So, please enjoy. I had to really do my homework for this one XD. This takes place when they're fourteen, ignoring the whole defection arc thing. To clarify, Sakura was born February 28th, Sasuke July 23rd, and Naruto October 10th. Baa-chan is how Naruto refers to Tsunade. Italics represent Naruto's thoughts.

EDIT (July 7, 2012): Recently, I've been updating this fan fiction again to iron out some bad writing. Thanks for reading!

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.**

* * *

"Happy fourteenth birthday!" the blond teen grinned, holding a cardboard box out.

Two innocent teenagers were simply sitting outside on a grassy field, the field where they first ever trained together. It was a mild July 23rd, the breeze coursing quietly through the training field, and the afternoon sun's rays warmed the boys' skin as they sat together in peace. It seemed like nothing could be better on that single afternoon than each other's company.

The blond's raven-haired friend gently took the medium-sized box from the blond's hands, his face expressionless. The box just had one word scrawled across it: SASUKE. Quietly, yet swiftly opening it, he took out one of the several things inside it. Reading the packaging, he sighed.

"A whole box of miso ramen. That's so great, Naruto," he rolled his eyes. "Thanks a lot."

"But it's instant! You can take it on missions and stuff, Sasuke!" Naruto replied.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "You have to boil ramen, Naruto."

"Then bring a pot!"

Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, best friends, although they hated to admit it and most likely never would. They had known each other for years and years, but had never really _met_ until they became a team, Team Seven. They were complete opposites: the annoying, ugly, unintelligent loser versus the cool, beautiful, gifted ninja. Yet, as they say, opposites attract.

"Where's Sakura-chan?" Naruto began to look around excitedly. "She needs to give you a present! It's so much fun to give presents and watch people open them!"

"She's on a mission, but will be working at the hospital when she gets back. It's summer; foolish genin and academy ranked ninja injure themselves a lot around now," the fourteen year old replied cooly.

"But we're still genin too! Are we 'foolish'?"

"Only _foolish_ genin get injured. I'm far from foolish, although I can't say the same thing about you."

They both had grown up since they had officially met two years ago, and they were continuing to grow; Naruto had grown to be near five-foot six, becoming taller than his pink-haired crush, yet his absolute rival still remained taller than him, but only by an inch or two.

"Ooh, are you looking for a fight, Sasuke-chan?" Naruto grinned.

"Bring it on, loser," Sasuke smirked, setting aside the package.

Naruto jumped up from his sitting position, ready to train. Full of boundless energy, the orange-clad ninja stood in a defensive stance as he watched Sasuke speedily rise to his feet, but stumble slightly on the way.

"Ooh, be careful Sasuke! Wouldn't wanna damage your pretty Uchiha face, would you?" he grinned mischievously.

Sasuke straightened himself without a reply, rubbing a few blades of grass off his navy shirt and colorless shorts. He stood in an offensive pose. "Let's go."

The fight was just a small training session, and Sasuke didn't even bother to activate his sharingan. However, Naruto felt something strange as he attacked Sasuke; the Uchiha wasn't fighting normally. His movements felt weaker than usual, and he almost seemed awkward in his attacks.

"Sasuke," he huffed. "Why are you going easy on-"

Sasuke landed a low kick on Naruto's knees, causing Naruto to cry out. "When will you give up, you loser?" he sneered. "You've already lost."

Naruto ran forward panting, getting ready to punch his rival in the face. "I'll never give up!"

As soon as he executed his attack, Naruto realized that instead of hitting Sasuke, he had swung at empty air; Sasuke had vanished. Naruto quickly turned to see Sasuke in the middle of a jump kick, and before Naruto could react, the kick landed on his tanned face, knocking him onto the ground.

"Hmph," the raven haired smirked, only to have it wiped off his face when the Naruto before him transformed into a log. He glanced around, caught completely off guard for the first time during this sparring session. He listened for any traces of sound, any sound, but there was nothing but the slight breeze. The sun was setting, casting shadows everywhere and making it harder to find Naruto.

Abruptly, a bright orange jumpsuit tunneled himself out of the ground in front of the Uchiha at a ridiculously high speed. Naruto grinned cheekily.

"Don't underestimate me, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted determinedly, throwing his fist back as he prepared to punch the other boy.

Time seemed to slow down.

Suddenly, Sasuke's pale legs were shaking awkwardly as if he couldn't control them. It seemed like he was trying to move them, but they trembled incessantly, as if his knees couldn't bend properly. His obsidian eyes stared at his legs in horror, and suddenly looked up to see a concerned look pass through Naruto's eyes, but it was too late for the Uzumaki to stop.

Naruto's fist rammed into Sasuke's chest, throwing the Uchiha several yards backwards and slamming him to the ground. Dust exploded onto the field, rendering Naruto unable to see anything.

_Holy crap, I hit him hard! I've never managed to get a hit in like that!_

"Sasuke? Sasuke!"

Naruto ran forward to where he had seen Sasuke land, waiting for the dust to clear.

Sasuke lay on the ground, hacking up thick, crimson blood onto the gore-stained ground. He clutched his chest desperately, his breathing shallow as he huffed for breath. Suddenly, the ashen boy started coughing even more violently, and a strange gurgling sound escaped his throat, red trailing down his gray lips.

_...What have I done?_

"Sasuke!" Naruto seated himself beside the ill boy and sat him up. Fear coursed through his veins, for he couldn't believe the sight before his very eyes. He had never seen Sasuke, the powerful, nearly infallible one, like this before.

The blond pushed Sasuke's head toward the ground in the attempt to stop Sasuke from choking on his own blood, and it didn't take much effort; Sasuke's head gracelessly fell forward. Blood poured out of his mouth and splattered on the ground, tainting it.

"We need to get you to baa-chan!" Naruto panicked. "She can fix you..."

Sasuke's face had grown pale, paler than Naruto thought was physically possible. The obsidian-eyed boy stopped coughing, but his eyes brimmed with anxiety and stress as agony was carved into his features. He held onto his chest, his breathing raspy still.

"Shut up, Naruto. I'm…fine," he breathed. He carefully stood up, the bit of color he usually had returning to his cheeks. His breathing seemed to strengthen, although he still looked in pain. "You just hit a vital point. Hard."

"But…you didn't even block! You would never fall for something like that!" Naruto admitted. "Are you okay?"

"I was giving you a chance to win," he lied in his attempt to sound cool, "so I let you win. What, do you want a rematch?"

"No! Let's call it a day then," the younger of the two shouted, gravely worried. An accident like this had never happened before, and...it scared him.

Sasuke took a few wary steps forward, wiping the blood off his face with the back of his sleeve. He struggled for air when his knees suddenly buckled beneath him, and he was on the ground again.

"Sasuke!" Naruto ran to his side, sitting him back up. "You're obviously injured! You're going to baa-chan NOW!"

Sasuke stood up more defiantly this time and weakly began walking away from Naruto. "I'm fine," he muttered. "I just need to rest for the day."

With a sigh, Naruto gave in and ran after Sasuke, "If you're going to be an ass about it, I'll take you home and make baa-chan go to you!"

The raven-haired didn't complain; he lacked the energy to do that. He slowly paced through the quieting streets of Konoha, ignoring Naruto walking beside him. Sasuke stared at the ground during his entire journey, attempting to block out whatever emotion he was feeling as the moon began to rise in the darkening sky. Sasuke's footing briefly wavered, and he wobbled to the side for a short moment. Naruto frowned, but didn't bring it up.

_It looks like he's drunk._

"So…" the thirteen-year-old attempted to make small talk. "Where do you live, anyway? I live there," Naruto pointed to a nearby building.

"Ten minutes from here."

"Sasuke, you can stay at my place for the night," Naruto offered, "since your walking is kind of off."

"I'm fine!" Sasuke snapped, glaring at Naruto. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, and then he narrowed his eyes in return.

"I'm just worried about you, you know!" Naruto looked at his best friend angrily, but also with concern. It wasn't like Sasuke to just stop moving like that when they were training, let alone walk in such a strange way. The amount of blood he had coughed up couldn't be healthy either.

Come to think of it...Sasuke had been acting strange recently, especially on missions...

Suddenly, the body walking beside Naruto was gone. Sasuke had already raced forward and away from Naruto, picking up the pace as began to dash through the empty moonlit streets. He ran faster than usual to reach his house, and Naruto, after recovering from a brief moment of shock, shouted back at his best friend.

"Wait, Sasuke!"

Suddenly, Sasuke seemed to collapse before Naruto's very sapphire eyes, his body hitting the ground down the street with a dull thud. Naruto rushed forward to his fallen comrade, staring into his friend's pale face. Sasuke's eyes were shut closed, a look of dull pain contorting his beautiful features. He breathed harshly, even in his unconscious state.

_It's so obvious that the guy's in pain that it's ruining his pretty face! Wait...pretty? What the hell?_

Naruto blushed harshly in the moonlight and picked Sasuke up from the ground, sliding his arm over his shoulders. He succeeded and began to walk slowly towards what seemed like a ghost town in front of him, focusing on getting Sasuke to rest in bed. If he couldn't get the Uchiha to go to the hospital (and it would be difficult to walk him there in his condition anyway; the hospital was all the way across town, and Naruto too was fatigued from the training session), he would just bring Tsunade, the world's best medical ninja, to examine him.

The blond didn't know which building Sasuke lived in, so he walked through the empty street and picked the closest, nicest looking one - Sasuke's father had been the head of the Uchiha clan after all, so Sasuke had to live in the nicest house here. Taking off both his shoes and Sasuke's shoes by the steps, Naruto stepped inside and roamed through the house. There were countless rooms, so he peered through several of them until he found one that piqued his interest. It was a room with a spacious bed, a small television, and a large balcony. Setting Sasuke down on the bed carefully, Naruto looked around the room.

_This must be Sasuke's room_, he smiled as he noticed a picture of Team 7 on the dresser by the window. _I don't want to leave him, but he'll kill me if he wakes up and sees me…He's a ninja, and he's gonna notice me. I gotta go get baa-chan to come here anyway! I'll go get her now!_

Naruto nodded to himself as he strolled to the entrance, slid his shoes on, and walked out.

* * *

"WHAT ! ?"

"You heard me, Naruto. You're going on a C-ranked mission with Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Kiba, and Shikamaru will act as your squad leader. You're just bringing a message to the Grass Village that we don't want intercepted, and it isn't likely that you will be attacked anyway," the Fifth Hokage demanded as she sat at her desk, facing Naruto with a miffed expression.

"It's just that Sasuke…Sasuke…" Naruto trailed off. "You gotta help Sasuke!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tsunade asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Replace Sasuke with someone else for this mission. You need to go to his house and help him!"

"Help him with what?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Sasuke's almost guaranteed to pass the next chuunin exam, so he is certainly capable of a simple C-ranked mission. It's a ninja's duty to serve the village. He can do it."

Naruto hesitated. "I hurt him," he replied, pain leaking from his voice, "We were training, and I don't know what happened, but he didn't block or dodge, and I hit him in the chest, and now he looks like death, and I don't know what to do...There is no way he can go on a mission right now; he's injured, and he won't go to the hospital! I had to leave him at his house because I lost a lot of energy from our training and couldn't carry him to the hospital. You have to go help him, baa-chan!"

"Why didn't you tell me before? Let me go take a look at him, and I'll decide whether he can go on the mission or not," Tsunade stood up from her seat determinedly.

"He _definitely _needs to go to the hospital! I think he's really…hurt, and it's my fault! Please, baa-chan! He's coughing up blood and can't walk properly and stuff!"

The blonde woman was caught off guard by the innocence and caring in the thirteen-year-old's eyes. Her eyes twinkled with compassion as she noticed how innocent and pure the blond was, almost like her late little brother.

"Fine, Naruto!" Tsunade smiled as she flipped through a few papers, "Sasuke will be replaced with…Hinata. Meanwhile, I'm going to take him to the hospital and take a look at him."

Naruto grinned as he ran out of the room, "Okay, thanks, baa-chan!"

The blond ran through the village, the cool breeze ruffling his orange jumpsuit. The moon hung high in the sky as he scurried through the empty streets, heading towards the village gates.

"Hey, Naruto!" Kiba raised a hand as a greeting, "What took you so long?"

"Naruto," Shikamaru acknowledged the spunky ninja, "where's Sasuke?"

"Um…Sasuke's not coming. Hinata's replacing him for this mission. She should be here soon! Baa-chan probably told her by now."

"Sorry I'm late!" a pale eyed girl suddenly ran up to the trio, "I just found out now about the mission. I wasn't expecting a mission and had to pack quickly, so please forgive me…Naruto?" she suddenly noticed the jinchuuriki standing in front of her.

"You know what the mission is, right?" the chuunin of the group asked, "or do I have to brief you about it?"

Hinata was blushing immensely, "I k-know already th-thank y-y-y-you..."

"Yo, Hinata!" Naruto grinned, raising a hand in greeting. "How are you?"

"Eek!" Hinata turned scarlet and fainted, overheating with embarrassment.

After a few minutes of fanning the female Hyuuga, the team set out into the distance for the Grass Village.

_I'll be back, Sasuke!_

**- The next day -**

"Good job, guys. The mission was successful, and we got a lot of appreciation from the head guys over there. You're all going to do well in the chuunin exam. Ugh, I have to be a proctor for it, and it's so troublesome..."

"Thank you, Shikamaru!" Hinata replied graciously, bowing her head to the cell leader.

"Thanks!" Kiba grinned as Akamaru barked excitedly. "Did you see that gatsuuga** (1) **I pulled off back there? It beat the crap out of those low-ranked ninjas!"

"For sure!" Naruto smiled, but his mind was elsewhere as he and his squad stood right by the exit of the village. Naruto had beaten everyone to Konoha from the Grass Village with his speedy, nonstop running for reasons the others didn't know.

_I have to go see Sasuke. I'll stop by his house first and get his things so I can bring them to the hospital, even though he doesn't deserve it..._

Naruto dashed through the village without even saying goodbye to his teammates, leaving them miffed. He raced through the crowded roads until he found himself outside of Sasuke's house within the Uchiha ghost town, throwing off his shoes and making his way inside. He finally spotted the door to where he had left Sasuke after a few seconds of quick searing, so Naruto put his hand to the doorknob when he suddenly heard quiet moaning echoing within the room.

_Wh-what the hell?_

Gulping, Naruto pushed the door open and made his way inside.

"Sakura?" a weak voice asked.

The bond stared at the teen in front of him. "Sasuke?"

Uchiha Sasuke was lying on his bed in the same clothes as yesterday, except the black shirt had a little more blood on it than before. His purple bed sheets had small dried blood stains, and the boy sitting on the bed was sweating, his breathing still shallow. His pale face was twisted in absolute torture.

"Oh, it's just you, loser."

"What happened to you?" Naruto's cerulean eyes were wide in shock. "Why the hell aren't you in the hospital!"

"I'm getting better," Sasuke replied. "I just need some rest."

"But baa-chan was supposed to take you to the hospital!"

The raven haired raised an eyebrow. "In your dreams maybe."

Suddenly, there was a tapping at the window. A messenger bird sat by the window sill, tilting it's head with a small scroll in it's break. Sasuke stood up and, coughing, opened his window to take the green bordered scroll. Reading it quickly, he tossed it aside, the scroll landing on the floor with a dull thud. He took his blood stained shirt off and glanced at the blond behind him, raising an eyebrow.

Naruto frowned. "Where are you going? You're still sick!"

"I'm not sick," the Uchiha rolled his eyes as he quickly slid on another shirt emblazoned with the Uchiha crest, "but I've been summoned by the Hokage. She said for you to come too."

_Why didn't baa-chan take him to the hospital! Why is she summoning us?_

"But…but!" Naruto trailed off, "You're not going anywhere unless it's to baa-chan!"

Sasuke breathed, "I am, you idiot."

The jinchuuriki paused and then sighed, "Sasuke, don't injure yourself even more. I don't know why you won't accept help from anyone or accept that you're sick! If you're going to see her now though, you better ask for her to heal you!"

The two left the complex in silence and walked wordlessly throughout Konoha, the afternoon sun blazing just like it did yesterday. Quietly entering Tsunade's office, Naruto gave the Hokage an angry, betrayed look, while Sasuke stood there plainly, awaiting orders.

Tsunade smiled, "You two are going to investigate the outskirts of Konoha. There has been suspicious activity there lately, so check around and stand guard for a few hours. This is just a C-rank mission, so don't worry about it too much. Back-up will come and meet you in about half an hour; we have too many shinobi out right now to send you a qualified leader, so it'll just be the two of you. This is one of the busiest summers we've had and we're still recovering from Orochimaru's attack. For now, Sasuke will be active leader until Iruka and Neji show up. Any questions?"

Throughout her speech, Tsunade had been studying Sasuke vigilantly, her eyes narrowed slightly in concentration. "Sasuke," she asked carefully, "how are you feeling?"

"Fine," he replied flatly.

"No heart conditions or motor issues I should be aware of?"

"No."

"I will ask you this one more time. Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Well then," she sighed, "I can't examine you if you don't want me to. You're wise enough to come for help if you need it. So, you are dismissed, Sasuke."

"What the hell? You gotta examine him, baa-chan!" Naruto yelled, banging his fists on her desk.

"Naruto!" Tsunade said defiantly. "Uchiha Sasuke is mature enough to come to me if he needs help. I can't make him tell me the truth and I can't make him tell me what's wrong with him. It's his own fault if he doesn't want help!"

Sasuke swiftly left the room in silence, ignoring the argument, and Tsunade took advantage of this. She turned to Naruto. "Naruto, I went to see him while you were on the mission. He was sleeping when I arrived, and I've decided that it's too unstable for me to move him without his consent. I may be Hokage, but that curse seal…"

"Curse seal?" Naruto interrupted. He still didn't know about that black mass Orochimaru had left on Sasuke's shoulder, having had been unconscious when it happened.

"When I analyzed him just now," Tsunade ignored the comment, "he had an erratic heartbeat, a fever, shallow breathing, and seriously low chakra. He's worse than when I last saw him and needs to go to the hospital, but his curse seal could activate if he's stressed out, and it would kill him in his condition."

"Kill him!" Naruto jumped. "What curse seal? What's going on?"

"Let me finish, Naruto!" the Hokage shouted angrily. "Anyhow, Sasuke is definitely sick, but if he's not knocked out, I can't move him. Sedating him without knowing the chemical properties of that curse seal could cause unknown side effects, and we can't do that to him. I don't want to knock him out without knowing what is wrong with him either, especially if he has a brain injury of some sort; you did say he had issues with moving, and he may have hit his head at some point during training. It's safer to let something else happen to him that makes him want to go to the hospital, like breaking his arm, than for me to move him without his consent. Got it?"

Naruto grinned, though still perturbed by some of Tsunade's comments. "Got it. I just need to break his arm then to make him go to the hospital, right?"

Tsunade smirked, "I'll let you just this once."

"Thanks, baa-chan," Naruto stuck his tongue out before exiting the room to meet his pale faced teammate. Without a word, the best friends walked to the outskirts of the village. Sasuke continued to occasionally waver like a drunk man when he walked, and he ignored Naruto during their entire journey. The blond noticed the mortification glinting in those endlessly black orbs of his, but decided that it was probably better not to say anything.

When they reached their designated area, the pair scanned their surroundings, checking for any signs of foreign ninjas in the area. Sasuke, still breathing shallowly, sat on the top of a boulder and waited for any sign of movement.

"Sasuke."

"What?" Obsidian eyes looked up to meet Naruto's sapphire ones. They glared at each other angrily.

"Why the hell won't you just admit that you're hurt?" Naruto bellowed, displeased.

"It's not important," the Uchiha replied. "If I want help, I can go see Tsunade on my own time."

The jinchuuriki glared at him, "Unless you die first."

They sat in silence.

"Is Sakura back?" Sasuke asked casually.

"What the hell?" Naruto muttered, "You don't care about yourself enough to go to the hospital, but you're asking about someone else? You don't give a damn about anyone, so why the hell are you asking?"

"What does it matter to you!" Sasuke shouted, but the force drained his face of any color it had left. The boy bowled over and hacked crimson liquid into his ashen hands before hastily glancing back up at his best friend. "Shut the hell up, you dumb ass."

"Don't tell me what to do, bastard!" Naruto ignored Sasuke's behaviour, but his eyes widened at the unsightly amount of blood that had stained Sasuke's hands. His palms were smothered in the substance, dripping silently onto the wet soil.

_I was just kidding about breaking his arm, but...maybe I should break it. He's really sick...he has to go to the hospital!_

Naruto edged closer to Sasuke and swallowed nervously; it was unnerving to purposely want to hurt someone. As the blond was about to reach his tanned hand out to Sasuke white arm, Sasuke whipped around to face him.

"Someone's coming."

The sound of someone within the trees echoed throughout the empty path. Twigs snapping in half registered in their ears, and they were immediately on guard against the potential enemy. Sasuke stood and armed himself with a kunai, Naruto ghosting his actions. From the deep darkness of the forest, two figures without village headbands stumbled in front of the duo, clad in black outfits and masks.

"They're not ninja," Sasuke stated with his trademark smirk. "This should be easy."

"Let's go!" Naruto jumped up. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Three clones of Naruto appeared in the air and tackled one of the figures. One after another, they punched the dark figure mercilessly.

"U!"

"ZU!"

"MA!"

"KI!"

"NARUTO RENDAN!"

The figure was beaten to the ground easily, and he groaned slightly in pain. Finished their job, Naruto's clones dispersed into thin air. The blond turned around to see Sasuke standing in front of the beaten man's crushed partner, still wearing his perfect smirk upon his marble features.

"They let their guard down," Sasuke concluded smugly. Before he could continue, he noticed Naruto's mouth turn into a perfect O - there was something behind him. He spun around to see the man he thought he had defeated standing up, fatigued but amused. The tall enigma's hand was equipped with a flat, dull weapon trickling with the lightning element.

"You thought that was the end?" he laughed insanely. "Come out now!"

About fifty ninja walked out of the forest, each looking almost exactly the same. They wore the same charcoal outfits and masks, but they all wore headbands from a village that Naruto didn't recognize.

"It's over!" the masked man shrieked as he rammed the odd weapon into Sasuke's head. Before Naruto could register what was happening, Sasuke's body flew back from where he stood, slamming him into the gigantic boulder he had once sat on. A loud crack resounded through the air, and the boulder split at the impact, leaving Sasuke's broken body on the ground, blood streaming down his head.

"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed and ran to his comrade's fallen body, praying that the injury didn't look as bad as it really was, but he knew that odds of that were dismal. Upon reaching the Uchiha's body, the jinchuuriki gasped at the wreckage. Sasuke's body was deathly white, and the thick blood flowing down the side of his head was a dark crimson, juxtaposing against Sasuke's unnaturally white skin. Naruto held up Sasuke's body with his sun kissed hands, only to find the back of Sasuke's skull wet with what could only be blood.

"Come on, Sasuke! Open your eyes!" he cried, and an overwhelming feeling of panic, sorrow, and anger flushed through his entire system.

As if on command, Sasuke's eyes opened, seemingly staring at the boy holding him. His lips quivered, but he said nothing.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" Naruto shook his injured friend. "Answer me, dammit!"

Despite his pleas, Sasuke did not respond. Instead, he with unfocused eyes stared blankly into the space before him, unmoving. He just didn't blink or move; it was as if he were day dreaming, and Naruto's words couldn't reach his ears. Completely dazed, he was oblivious to both Naruto's screams and the world around him

"Come on! Answer me, dammit!"

Sasuke continued to stare expressionlessly, unresponsive.

Naruto swore and muttered, "Dammit! Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Three clones appeared beside Naruto, each of them as distressed as the original. Two of them took and held Sasuke's body, protecting the boy, while the other two Narutos proceeded to fight. However, that formation didn't last long. One of the ninja immediately threw shuriken at all three of the clones, causing them to disappear as quickly as they had been summoned.

"CRAP!"

_What…What do I do?_

_Take Sasuke and run?_

_Try to fight?_

_I don't even have enough chakra left considering I just got back from a mission! It wasn't supposed to be like this._

There was no time to think - another ninja taunted the thirteen-year-old mercilessly, throwing a kunai into his leg.

"ARGH!" he screamed, falling to the ground as he was suddenly submerged in pain. Breathing heavily, he pulled the bloody kunai out of his leg and pocketed it, doing his best to ignore the pulsating pain and the wet feeling running down his leg. He couldn't afford to let himself be distracted by pain...not with Sasuke like this.

_Kyuubi? You there? I...I need help. I don't think I can do this alone..._

"Naruto!"

Naruto turned around to find Neji and Iruka running up to him from behind, both gasping.

"Naruto!" Iruka yelled. "Take Sasuke and run! Then tell Hokage-sama to send more backup!"

The orange-clad ninja gazed at Sasuke and noticed that his eyes had finally closed. He was completely unconscious, but at least he wasn't being...so strange anymore.

"I can't run from a fight, but Sasuke…"

Neji bellowed, "Take him and go!"

Naruto nodded and lifted Sasuke's right arm onto his shoulder. Quickly using up the last of his chakra, he summoned one last clone to help him carry Sasuke. The clone took Sasuke's other arm, and they swiftly ran back to the village as quickly as they could with Naruto's injured leg and only two clones.

_I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei, Neji...but I have to save Sasuke!_

Naruto and his clone eventually made it back to the village with Sasuke. Both ran as fast as they possibly could (which, in their condition wasn't very fast), each trying to share Sasuke's weight as their leg wounds bled even more heavily. Desperate to save Sasuke, Naruto dashed to his apartment and laid Sasuke onto his own bed after dispelling his clone; his apartment was much closer than the hospital, and Naruto was smart enough to realize that if he tried to carry Sasuke all the way there, let alone just himself, he would probably collapse. Wordlessly, the blue-eyed boy jumped out the window and ran beneath the bleeding hot sun to the Hokage's building only a few blocks away. Scurrying up the scarlet stairs, he pushed Kotetsu and Izumo out of the way, knocking their stacks of paper over and unfortunately staining some of them with his blood. They yelled after Naruto, but he just continued running to Tsunade's office, fully realizing that both his consciousness and Sasuke's life depended on it. Blasting the door to the Hokage's office open, Naruto wasted no time in communicating his jumbled thoughts.

"Baa-chan!" Naruto panted, his face turning white from blood loss and a lack of chakra. "Sasuke's dying, _dying_! We need to get him to the hospital, and we need back-up for the mission too because there were like a hundred ninja, and we just couldn't-"

"Naruto!" someone that clearly wasn't Tsunade asked. Her voice was sweet like icing, full of youth, vitality, and curiosity.

"Huh?"

The girl before him was his longtime crush, Haruno Sakura. She stood by Tsunade's desk, her rosette hair reaching just above her shoulders. The light breeze carried the scent of cherry blossoms, and it helped calm Naruto down a bit, but just slightly.

"Sasuke-kun's dying? Naruto, what's going on? What happened to your leg? Are you okay?"

Tsunade stood from her desk beside her apprentice. "Speak more slowly, Naruto."

Gasping, he told them the bare minimal. "Sasuke got hurt and was like, really weird. His eyes were open, but he wasn't answering me! There were a ton of ninja there, and we just couldn't handle them. Iruka-sensei and Neji showed up, but they told me to send backup because of all the ninja. Since my leg is busted, I thought it'd be faster to have you help me get Sasuke to the hospital, so I left him at my place!"

The Hokage quickly flipped through some papers, a stern look encompassing her face. "Sakura, take Naruto out of here and get Sasuke. Do basic first aid on him if needed and bring him to the hospital. First aid won't be needed for Naruto."

Sakura took a look at Naruto's leg. The once visible wound was now healed, and only the remnants of blood indicated that there was ever an injury in the first place. Puzzled, the med-nin in training grabbed Naruto's arm and ran out of the room toward his apartment, silent at first. However, as they stopped in front of the door into Naruto's house, she solemnly asked him a single question.

"Naruto…is it really bad?"

Naruto didn't reply, but his face said it all. Sakura looked down, a melancholic look gleaming in her eyes, and she knew.

They quickly bolted into Naruto's apartment and stopped right outside of Naruto's bedroom. Just as they were about to open that fateful door, something stopped the duo. Inside, there were the sounds of breaking glass and a strange human thumping, sounds that were normally never heard by human ears.

Sea foam eyes met cerulean one. Sakura began to shake slightly, and Naruto was shivering just as well with fear of what lay beyond the door. With a single gulp, he pushed the door open.

The sight that lay before Naruto was horrible, and the image was forever burned inside Naruto's head.

Sasuke's muscular body was on the floor, twitching and kicking everywhere. His strong arms punched through the mattress, now ruined, as his legs kicked and smashed Naruto's dresser to pieces. Shards of glass were stuck in the Uchiha's face, and a pool of blood had begun collected around him. A strong smell of acid burned the air, causing the duo's eyes to water, and they didn't have to ask what it was. Only the whites of Sasuke's eyes were visible as he convulsed violently in the bedroom.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed. Naruto ran forward and attempted to restrain Sasuke, only for his left cheek to be met by a powerful force. Sasuke's fist slammed into Naruto's face, causing Naruto to cry out in pain and stumble backward.

"Naruto, you have to wait until he stops!" Sakura instructed, doing her best to stay calm, "or you'll hurt yourself! Seizures can't be stopped, so just wait until it's over to help him!"

Naruto stood back, rubbing his bruised face. However, he noticed that on the varnished floorboards lay a broken picture frame, that wooden frame with the picture of Team Seven inside. The frame was completely shattered, and the image looked slightly torn by the shards. A scratch marred the image through the centre, practically erasing Sasuke's face completely. That image didn't keep Naruto occupied for long though; his eyes were glued to Sasuke's helpless body thumping the ground, his back arching impossibly as if it were about to snap.

Sasuke was having a seizure, and there was nothing they could do about it.

* * *

A/N: How was it? I'm working hard on this, so please support me.

(1) Gatsuuga, for those who don't watch the subs, is Fang Over Fang, that attack where Kiba and Akamaru become two huge, angry dogs I believe.


	2. Promise

A/N : Chapter 2 out of 10 (estimated). I hope this story goes where I want it to…Sometimes, you get those spur of the moment things. I thought about changing the time frame, but this is good. So…yes. Please enjoy. The yaoi starts in this chapter, but it's a bit light up until near the end.

Edited August 25th, 2012.

**Disclaimer: **I wished that I owned Naruto, but I don't.

'_**Till Death Do Us Part **__**– Promise**_

"Naruto?"

The Uzumaki, his head in his hands, glanced up to find teammate Haruno Sakura standing in front of him. The adrenaline-driven duo had somehow managed to carry Sasuke to the hospital after his seemingly eternal-long seizure finally ended, and the nurses had taken him right away on a gurney. Sakura had been allowed to follow with the excuse that she was a medical ninja, but Naruto could only sit and wait as the clock ticked ever so slowly, the seconds seeming like hours. Naruto had never felt so useless; he was forced to sit around in an uncomfortable chair in the waiting room, a chair that reeked of bleach and antibacterial gel, and there was absolutely nothing else he could do. After eons of waiting, Sakura was finally standing in front of him, an unmistakably fake smile on her face.

"How is he?!" Naruto jumped from his seat, worry etched in his face.

Sakura, clipboard and pen in hand, took a seat in the chair beside Naruto. "Sit back down, Naruto," she ignored his question. "I have a few questions for you."

"What is it? Can I go see Sasuke after this?" the blond asked nervously as he sat back down, wringing his hands. No matter the question, if it would help Sasuke, he'd do it, but he needed to see Sasuke as soon as possible.

"Maybe," Sakura sighed. "It depends on his condition, so I'll let you know after you answer these questions. First, can you tell me everything that happened on your mission?"

"It's simple!" Naruto exclaimed, rushing through his words. "Sasuke got hit in the head with a weapon filled with lightning chakra! He didn't block or dodge, so he got thrown back into a boulder, and then he wouldn't respond to me at all even though his eyes were open, and then he fell unconscious."

Sakura jotted down a few notes before glancing back up at Naruto. "He didn't avoid the attack? That's unusual…Sasuke-kun is usually able to dodge simple attacks like that. I guess it could be a coincidence or something...I wasn't there to see what circumstances he was in during the battle. How long was he unresponsive? Was there any other unusual behavior from him?"

"He had that blank look for maybe thirty-seconds? I don't really know, but he has been kinda weird lately," Naruto crossed his arms. "He's the same old Sasuke in the way that he's _always_ stubborn and refusing help, you know. But even though I'm stronger than him and everything, he was weird during our training too. I managed to punch him right in the chest!"

"What happened?" the pink-haired girl sat up straight as a board, her eyes suddenly serious.

"We were training, and I was losing to him," Naruto explained, making a face as he tried to recall all the details. "We were close to even, but he was getting more attacks in than me. When I went to punch him in the chest, I figured he would have blocked it, but he didn't. He flew back, and then he looked really sick and in pain after. I wanted baa-chan to look at him since you were busy on that mission, but she said it wouldn't be good to do anything drastic to him when he could damage himself even more and stuff."

Sakura wrote down a last few notes and stood up, that fake smile taking its place on her face again. "Thanks, Naruto! Let me know if you remember anything else important, okay? I don't think your training has anything to do with it, or at least not so far. I'll let you know when you can see him."

_So it wasn't my fault then! But then why...did he look so sick after I punched him?_

"How is he? Why didn't he answer me when he got hit by that guy?" Naruto asked, almost pleading for an answer, choosing to ignore the more confusing thoughts.

"Well…" Sakura trailed off, "he can't breathe on his own and is still unconscious. As for why he didn't answer you…There could be other reasons since we don't have a lot of information right now, but I think it might have been another type of seizure, one different from the one we saw just earlier. I don't know everything right now, but I'll find out and tell you later, okay?"

"Another type of seizure?" the jinchuuriki's eyes widened. He didn't know there was such a thing.

The med-nin stared at the floor. "There are different types of seizures, and what you described to me sounds like a type of absence seizure most likely. Sasuke-kun suffered a head injury, so that would explain why he has been having the seizures. Anyway, I have to go, but I'll tell you when you can see him!"

The thirteen year old grumbled, "Fine. But you better let me see him as soon as possible, Sakura-chan!"

She grinned, "I will."

Sakura ran out of the waiting room and down the endless hallway, leaving Naruto alone again. He sighed and dropped his head back in his hands; even if he tried to barge into Sasuke's room, he didn't know what to expect. Hell, he didn't even know where Sasuke's room was! So instead, he waited, not even sleeping as each hour that passed transformed into a needle that stabbed Naruto in the heart. What seemed like an eternity later, a small hand clasped the blond's shoulder.

"Naruto, you can see him now. He's still unconscious, but he's stable."

Cerulean eyes looked up to meet sea foam, the blue ones bloodshot and droopy while the green ones were high with a sorrow-tinged energy.

"You should get some sleep," Sakura sighed. "You need to be healthy in order to look out for Sasuke-kun, right? Come on, I'll take you to his room."

Naruto sprang up, suddenly revitalized by Sakura's words, and followed the girl wordlessly in his rush to see his best friend. As they reached the end of the hallway, with a slight smile, Sakura opened the last door on the right.

"Call me if anything happens, okay? I'll be with Tsunade-sama looking over some tests. I'm really worried about Sasuke-kun right now…I hope he'll be all right. Take care, Naruto!"

He nodded and stepped inside.

Uchiha Sasuke was lying on a colorless hospital bed, several tubes linked to his body. An IV drip stood beside one side of his bed and a ventilator, connected to the teen through a tracheotomy tube, on the other. A standard _beep _echoed through Naruto's ears as he gazed down at Sasuke's pale body dressed in the average hospital gown.

"Sasuke?" Naruto stepped forward.

There was no response.

The ninja carefully took a seat beside his best friend in the standard plastic, white chair. He rocked back and forth for a while to the beeping of the heart monitor, nervous.

_Sasuke..._

"I told you that you should have gone to see baa-chan sooner! But you didn't listen…"

Naruto took Sasuke's ashen hand and grasped it gently. It was icier and more colorless than usual, just like his face. At the mere thought of this, the boy felt his eyes sting.

"You're always the strong one, so how…why...it's al my fault. I should have convinced baa-chan to get you off the mission!" Naruto bit his lip. "I should have convinced you to go and get checked up by her! Sasuke, what happened to you? You're so pale…You're never like this. Sakura says that I had nothing to do with it, but I don't believe it! It's all my fault! Sasuke!"

The thirteen year old gazed at Sasuke's face, sniffing as his eyes watered. His ivory skin was like porcelain, and his dark, silky hair contrasted it alluringly. His navy bangs fell to just below his chin of his perfectly sculpted face, framing it perfectly. In such deep sleep, he looked relaxed and even beautiful.

_Beautiful._

Naruto forced himself to look away as he blushed intensely. He looked out the window instead, gazing at the lovely, wonderfully green trees outside. The outside never seemed like such a fantastic place to be until now.

_What the hell am I doing? Why am I thinking of this bastard that way? It's not right! The bastard, I'll kill him when he wakes up! That's right! Because he is going to wake up really soon, and then I'll yell at him as I kill him!_

"What the…hell are you…doing...you idiot."

Naruto jumped, whipping his head to face the hospital bed. "SASUKE!" he cried as he stared at Sasuke's face, his face falling as he did so. His onyx eyes looked clouded over and lethargic, his eyelids fluttering as he came to. Because of the ventilator, he gasped after every few words and sounded exhausted.

_I've never seen him like this before._

"Let go of my…hand."

The blond realized that he was still holding Sasuke's face and instantly dropped it, letting it fall to his bedside.

"Sasuke, you're alive!" Tears threatened to spring from Naruto's sapphire eyes, but he couldn't help but smile. "You should have listened to me before when I said you should go see baa-chan. If you had, you wouldn't have to be here! So, listen to me next time, Sasuke!"

"What happened?" the Uchiha mumbled wearily.

"That ninja guy hit you in the head with this lightning chakra-filled weapon, and then you like stared out into space without answering me, and then you fell unconscious, and then you had a seizure, so Sakura-chan and I brought you here, and you've been out since late yesterday," the tanned boy stopped to breathe, panting.

"A seizure?" he asked, sounding confused.

"Yeah, it was rough," Naruto continued, "Sakura-chan says that you had a seizure when you didn't answer me because it's another type, and then you had that intense seizure at your place! But I'm sure they'll fix you here," he grinned.

"Sakura?" he questioned.

"Yeah, she's really worried about you!" Naruto continued as he sat back in the chair, "You shouldn't do things like this to her! She really loves you."

"So she cares?' he raised his eyebrow. "She shouldn't."

Naruto crossed his arms, "She can't help but love you. Why wouldn't she love you? You're such a lovable guy," he teased, elbowing Sasuke. Sasuke winced and quickly glanced away. The blond hadn't realized the fragile condition his best friend was in and, out of embarrassment, he turned blood red.

"You failure…don't you realize? If she does…It'll hurt her more…" the fourteen-year-old wheezed. "I'm going to die."

_...what? Wait, what!?_

Naruto's eyes widened, shock running through his system. "No you're not! How could you say that?"

"Promise me that you'll…kill Itachi when I die," he gasped between words.

"Pff, I'll hold your dying body in my arms if you ever come close to dying!" Naruto claimed hastily, faking laughter. "You're not going to die anytime soon, so shut up!"

"I can feel it…I'm going to die, so stop caring. It'll only...hurt you more."

"I won't let you die!" Naruto shouted, panicking. "You can't die!"

"I'll kiss you…if I live," the raven haired smirked weakly, "And I swear…that won't happen. I can feel it…So don't get your…hopes up...loser."

The blond turned scarlet. "K-kiss me? That…that is…Fine! But when you get outta here, you should move in with me or I'll move in with you. Your place is really empty. It's…lonely."

_That bastard! He's mocking me, isn't he!? I'll kill him when he gets out of here, I swear!_

"There is...another outcome," Sasuke added. "If I live…with complications. Dying."

"I swear I'll take care of you if that happens. It won't, but I'll stay by your side and help you. You won't have to be alone, Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed honestly. "I can't see why something like that would ever happen though. You'll be fine."

The ivory-skinned teenager laughed bitterly as he stared Naruto in the eyes, but the ventilator made it sound more like he was choking. "I know it won't happen. I'm going to die. I won't ever need…your help. But if it does…happen, promise me…Naruto. No matter what…you'll..."

"I swear!" Naruto grinned, pumping a fist in the air as a flashy display of his resolve. "What!? I'll do it!"

"Kill me."

Naruto felt himself go cold.

_Kill him? I can't kill him…_

"Sasuke, I…"

"You swore."

Naruto bit his lip until he drew blood. "Fine. But it's not going to happen because you'll get through this, got it!?"

Sasuke, wordless, turned away. The beeping of the heart monitor was all that kept the room from becoming silent.

"Naruto."

Upon hearing his name, the boy turned to look at Sasuke, surprised that he was the one who had broken their silence. Sasuke never talked, and when he did, he didn't say much.

"Yeah?"

"Naruto, don't make me...say this again. I lo-"

The door slammed open, causing Sasuke and Naruto to look up at the door.

"You know, I…"

A nurse had walked in, gabbing away to someone behind her. When she finally looked up at the two boys, her face turned crimson; she was in the wrong room.

"I'm so sorry!" she bowed and ran out of the room as quickly as she came in.

"That was weird. So, Sasuke?" Naruto turned back to look at his best friend. "What did you want to say?"

Within those few seconds that the woman had walked in and out, the Uchiha's face had turned gray as his chest rose and fell wildly. His dark eyes widened, perhaps out of shock or fear, and then rolled into the back of his head. Only white could be seen.

"Sasuke!"

The heart monitor was acting strangely; it sped up to the point where it was almost one solid beep to, suddenly dropped to not beeping at all, and then repeated itself. After mere seconds, only one sound echoed through Naruto's ears.

_Beeeeeeeeeeep…_

"SASUKE!"

The world fell into slow motion as Naruto fell to his knees, clutching his ears with his hands, but it was futile; nothing could get that long, tragic _beep _out of his ears.

_When I punched him in the chest, I ruined his life._

_Sasuke's dead._

_No._

_**I killed Sasuke.**_

A/N: I'm sorry if Naruto seems somewhat OC, but I don't think he'd be as energetic at this point. He's maturing, so he knows not to go barging into Sasuke's room. He's obviously sad because of Sasuke, especially since he thinks it's his fault. He does have some energy left though XD. So until the next chapter, _Comatose!_


	3. Comatose

A/N: I had this dream where someone reviewed saying that Sasuke was obviously going to live and kill Itachi with Naruto, haha. Anyway, I added another four chapters to this, so I'm thinking this story will be fourteen chapters. As well, Sakura is not a crying idiot because I'm trying to show how she has matured.

Edited August 25, 2012.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

'_**Till Death Do Us Part**__** - Comatose**_

_I killed Sasuke._

That single sentence repeated itself incessantly within Naruto's mind as he screamed painfully, agony unleashing from his voice. The longer that single beep sounded, the louder and more sorrowfully he screamed. His hands covered his ears as if to protect himself from the truth, but nothing could stop the sound from echoing in his mind. It was all over.

All of a sudden, Sakura and two other nurses ran into the room. The pink-haired teenager grabbed Naruto to get him out of the room, but he resisted.

"Pull yourself together!" she yelled as she clutched his hand.

"LET ME GO!" he shrieked as he struggled and freed himself from her grasp easily. "SASUKE!"

"Stop it! You'll only be in the way!" Sakura screamed, pulling Naruto with her out of the room with newfound strength. "If you want to save him, leave!" She shut the door behind her and glared at the blond.

"He woke up? You should have called me! He just went into cardiac arrest, didn't he? This might have been prevented or dealt with sooner! We could have gotten information from him! We don't have much of an Uchiha medical history, and..." she trailed off.

"Um…what's cardiac arrest?" he cocked his head, "How did you get so strong? Well, whatever! He's dead, Sakura-chan! HE'S DEAD!"

"Naruto! Cardiac arrest is basically the heart stopping, and as for my strength, I just learned a technique from Tsunade-sama. Anyway, we might be able to stabilize him, but why didn't you call earlier? Damn it, it's just…I…I shouldn't blame you. I'm sorry. He only had a seizure when we brought him in, so I figured he just had brain damage. In fact, we did a scan of his brain earlier. Tsunade-sama and I were just looking at the results now…"

"It doesn't matter now if he's dead!" he yelled, diamond-like tears springing from his cerulean eyes.

The door screeched open like death bells tolling. Two nurses stepped out, each with an emotionless expression. The taller one suddenly stopped and let a smile grace her face. "He's stable."

Sakura grinned, "Thanks for your work."

Utter relief flowed through Naruto's blood, and more tears fell from his eyes than before, but this time from sheer joy. Such ecstasy flooded his mind that he couldn't even think straight. All he could do was beam with happiness and show off a peace sign. "I knew he'd live! He's too strong to die just like that!"

The two nurses both smiled and left the room together, walking back down the hallway.

"See?" Sakura winked. "He's fine. We can go see him now, but let me finish what I was saying first. Tsunade-sama and I were looking at the results and –"

Did anything show up!?" the jinchuuriki asked, suddenly interested.

"I didn't have time to look," she smiled gently, "but Naruto, Sasuke-kun went into cardiac arrest, so the issue is with more than just his brain. Tell me everything about the training accident now. You punched him in the chest, right?"

_Oh no._

Naruto's face was wiped of all joy and immediately fell into anguish. "Y-yeah. Right around the heart. This is my fault, isn't it? It's because of me that he went into cardi- whatever, right? I...I'm to blame."

"Not necessarily," the med-nin in training put her hand on the blond's shoulder in the attempt to comfort him. "We just need to know everything that might have to do with why he is like this. Naruto, I doubt that one punch could do this much to him. He might have already been hurt there and you just alerted us that the problem was there. In fact, it's a good thing that you did that, so now we can fix whatever is wrong. We'll check it out and do some tests, so don't worry, okay?"

"Fine," Naruto stared at the ground, unconvinced.

_It all started when I punched him…If I hadn't done that, then this would have never happened. Even if he was already sick, it wouldn't have been a problem, right?_

_If I hadn't punched him…the most beautiful guy…_

"No! I'm not gay!" Naruto moaned. When he realize that Sakura was still beside him, his face emanated crimson as he immediately covered his mouth.

"Naruto? Are you okay? Why don't you go home?" she suggested, confusion flooding her face. "You've been here since yesterday. You haven't eaten or slept, so you must be really tired. We're going to be doing some tests, so why don't you take a breather and come back later?"

"So I can't see him now?" Naruto looked up and into Sakura's eyes, blushing intensely. "You said I could!"

"No, you'd just be waiting here if you stayed," Sakura smiled, "because I won't let you see him until you take care of yourself. You need to make sure you're healthy so you can be with Sasuke-kun."

"Can't I do anything to help?" Azul eyes watered.

Sakura shook her head. "Unless you're come sort of medic, no."

Nodding, Naruto turned around and began to walk towards the exit, letting Sakura's hand drop from his shoulder, when he turned his face to gaze into hers. "But I'm coming back here right away!"

Sakura waved as she laughed. "Sure."

Naruto left through the hospital doors and wearily made his way back to his apartment. What Sakura said had been true; he hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, and he hadn't slept at all. After Naruto's feet, controlled by auto-pilot, had returned the boy to his lonely apartment, Naruto took a few steps from the entrance into the bedroom and collapsed onto his bed, clutching a pillow tightly.

_Sasuke…_

_That bastard better be okay…I don't think I could live without him. He's like my brother...he might even be like my other half._

Cerulean eyes opened to discover a pitch black room, the black as thick as a blanket. Naruto hastily sat up and threw open his curtains, revealing the twinkling stars and the moon hanging high in the sky.

"I overslept!" he kicked himself angrily as he stood up, only to swerve to the side. Naruto felt oddly empty, and his stomach groaned bitterly.

"I still haven't eaten," he realized as he quickly grabbed a strawberry nutrition bar, the only food he had in his house besides ramen that he could eat quickly. He didn't like them, but they were for emergencies like this one.

The blond jumped out his fifth story window and landed stealthily on his feet outside - he was a ninja, after all. Dashing to the hospital, he munched on the bar while trying to not feel sick from hunger. Sasuke's face, that gorgeous face, flashed through his mind.

_Wait! His face isn't gorgeous! Sure, he's good looking but I don't think of him that way! I'M NOT GAY!_

Naruto quickly ran through the open hospital doors and surprisingly found Sakura alone in the waiting room. Her eyes were swollen, puffy, and her cheeks were stained with her tears.

"Naruto!" her voice shook. "Sasuke-kun…he…"

The jumpsuit-clad teen froze, feeling the color draining from his cheeks. "What happened?"

"He…" Sakura burst into tears, "He's dying. We can't do anything. He only wants to see you. Naruto, please! Just make his last moments the best he has ever had!"

Naruto's cerulean eyes widened as he tried to comprehend his friend's words. Without a word of his own, he scrambled past her.

"Wait!"

Naruto spun around. "What, Sakura-chan!? Hurry up and tell me! Sasuke's dying!"

"I…I know you love him," she smiled weakly, "I can see in your eyes how much you care about him! It's heartbreaking…You should let him know how you feel. Let him know that someone cares. Maybe that's all he needs to move on happily."

_It is so obvious that I love him that everyone knows it but me?_

The blond nodded and dashed into the hospital room at the end of the hallway, the hallway that seemed like it would never end. The hallway twisted, laughing at Naruto, growing longer to keep Sasuke away from the boy.

"Dammit!" Naruto screamed. With a sudden burst of strength, he suddenly found Sasuke's hospital door in front of him. Without hesitation, he smashed the door open.

Naruto gasped.

Uchiha Sasuke had changed dramatically in the past twelve hours. His once sleek hair now seemed like worn thread, lusterless. His eyes were pitch black and emotionless, empty. The Uchiha's face was ashen and hollow, hard with a sickly color. Countless tubes were connected to his thin body, a body which each and every bone was easily visible. His black shirt was lifted up slightly, revealing a protruding rib cage. A tube was still connected into his throat, a bright orange button on it the only remotely bright thing near Sasuke.

"Sasuke…?" Naruto stepped forward, tears pouring down his cheeks. Memories flashed through his mind of the old Sasuke, the Sasuke that had obsidian, vitality-filled eyes; the Sasuke that had a slender, healthy body; the Sasuke that glossy hair like silk.

The Sasuke that wasn't sick.

The Sasuke that wasn't sick because of Naruto.

The blond sat in the same chair he had sat in earlier and once again took Sasuke's hand. Sasuke flinched slightly, but didn't do anything.

"Sasuke…" That seemed to be the one and only word left in Naruto's mind.

The last of the Uchiha clan weakly lifted his other hand and pressed on the button by his neck. "Na-ru-to…" he choked out.

Naruto shook his head and stood up, gently putting his arms around Sasuke. He held that cold body close, almost as if he were attempting to merge their bodies into one.

"You _bastard_," he cried. "Maybe you could have been saved if you had listened to me…Sasuke…don't leave me!"

Naruto pulled away to look at Sasuke. His eyes were dead, but he still had the strength to press the orange button again.

"Na-ru-to…goodbye…"

The blond's memories of a few minutes passed through his head in a flash, overwhelming him.

"_I know you love him."_

Sasuke's beautiful face floated through his mind. He grimaced because he knew that he was lying to himself about both Sasuke's health...and his own feelings.

"_I can see in your eyes how much you care about him!"_

Reality broke the surface, and the crying cerulean eyes of Uzumaki Naruto were staring into Uchiha Sasuke's obsidian ones.

"It's not goodbye. We'll see each other again because…I love you."

_How long have I felt this way without realizing it?_

The familiar beep rang through Naruto's ears as he howled through the night.

"SASUKE!"

Naruto screamed as he sat up, tears pouring down his face, only to find that he was still in his bed.

_A…a nightmare?_

Naruto gazed out through his window to find that it was night time, just like in his dream. The moon was in the same position up in the sky and the stars glimmered in the same way.

Sweating, he grabbed a nutrition bar, one that happened to be exactly the same flavor as the one in his dream. He felt sick, this time from more than just the lack of food. He wanted to leap out his window onto the ground to save time, but Naruto couldn't bring himself to do it; there was no way he would do anything that could make his nightmare a reality. Naruto stuffed the bar into his mouth and burst through his front door, hurrying down the steps and out into the evening streets.

_I…I guess I love Sasuke, don't I? I could feel it in the dream…Or maybe that only happened because I'm worried about him a lot! There's no way I could ever love a bastard like that...right?_

Everything passed in a blur as Naruto was absorbed by his thoughts, until he suddenly felt something hard hit him against the forehead. Grimacing, the blond found himself standing right before the hospital doors.

Sweat dripped down Naruto's face as soon as he entered the hospital. Standing in front of him in the empty hospital room was Haruno Sakura, her eyes puffy and scarlet.

"Naruto! Sasuke-kun, he…"

"He's dying, isn't he?" the thirteen-year-old looked away from Sakura's gaze.

"No, he's stable! He's conscious, but isn't talking to us. I was thinking that maybe you and I could see him together to see if he knows anything that might help the doctors out."

Naruto's jaw dropped. Everything...was going to be okay. The boy wanted to cry tears of joy, and he felt laughter threaten to rip from his throat.

_Dreams don't mean anything after all!_

"Naruto?" Sakura's voice seemed nasal, almost as if she had a cold.

"If he's okay, why are you crying?" he asked, being perceptive for the first time as he broke out into a grin.

"Oh, it's nothing important!" she shook her head, "for now anyway. I'll tell you later, okay?" The pink-haired girl grabbed Naruto's hand and led him to Sasuke's room.

"Do you know what's wrong?" Naruto asked.

Sakura suddenly grinned as she turned to look at her teammate. "Probably. We're just confirming everything by asking him a few questions. He had a seizure again earlier today, so we're investigating that…he might have epilepsy."

Naruto froze as he stared at Sakura. "You can get rid of that, right?"

"Oh, it's not a huge deal," Sakura grinned as she opened the door, stepping through it. "If he does have it, we just need to get him the proper medication. He'll be fine and you guys can go on missions after this. Oh, hi, Sasuke-kun! How are you feeling?"

Sasuke was sitting up in his bed, looking almost exactly like he had before any of these accidents happened. A few tubes were connected to him, and bags filled the underneath of his eyes, but he looked almost normal. His onyx eyes were wide open as he clutched the edge of his bed, and it brought a smile to Naruto's sun-kissed face. Naruto could feel his heart race faster, and, upon realizing this, was startled.

_Why? Why am I so happy to see him? _

Sakura smiled faintly and stood at Sasuke's side. "Do you mind if we talk?"

The raven-haired didn't protest. Naruto stepped forward and sat in that familiar plastic chair that was beginning to haunt him.

"Sasuke, what's wrong with you?" he muttered.

The three sat in silence for what felt like hours, but there was really no sense of time in such a sterile colorless room. Surprisingly, Sasuke finally broke the silence.

"I...used drugs."

Naruto stood up suddenly, knocking the chair over. His blood drained from his face as he stared at Sasuke's face, a face that seemed to have no trace of repentance or emotion. Sakura gasped and mumbled something inaudible.

"What the hell, bastard!? Drugs!?" He resisted the urge to punch his best friend in the face.

"To escape…" he breathed as he shut his eyes. "From my fate…"

"Sasuke-kun, so is that what you were hiding from me?" Sakura asked quietly as a tear trickled down from her sea foam eyes. "That day, the day we talked. The day you left me alone."

He didn't reply. Instead, his onyx eyes looked up to meet cobalt.

"I used a…needle. I just…didn't want to…live like this…to accept...my fate."

"What!?" Naruto yelled, but his eyes had softened at the gaze of Sasuke's obsidian eyes. "Why are you only saying this now?"

"If it helps…maybe I can still...live to…kill Itachi…"

"Revenge, huh?" Naruto sat back down. "Still, I don't get what you mean by fate and all that stuff. Why did you do it, Sasuke?"

"I'll be right back!" Sakura looked at Naruto suddenly before standing up and running out of the room.

"So, tell me!" Naruto looked at Sasuke, "Sasuke?"

The sick teenager was clutching his forehead as sweat began to roll down his pale face. His eyes were shut closed, and his body had started to tremble.

"Sasuke!?" the blond was becoming worried, "Someone help!"

"Migraine," Sasuke managed to gasp, his breathing uneven.

_Something's wrong._

_Why does my heart feel this way? It feels as if it's being torn in two…_

He leaped up from the chair and smashed he door open. "Sakura-chaaaaaan! We need help! Sasuke…something's wrong with him!"

Before Naruto knew it, Sakura and couple of nurses came tearing down the hall within seconds. "I know, Naruto! I went to get more help!"

Sakura slipped through the door with the other nurses and took a look at Sasuke. She gently asked, "Sasuke, how do you feel? Tell me the truth."

He opened his mouth, but barely any sound came out. "Migraine. Dizzy. Can't see."

"How long have you been like this?" her voice sounded as if it were about to break.

"Since you got here…with Naru-."

All of a sudden, his body went stiff, seemingly lifeless. Those dark eyes rolled back into Sasuke's head until only the whites were visible.

And then it happened.

Sasuke's body began to convulse rapidly, shaking violently as his back began to arch in an unsightly way. Blood trailed out of his mouth as he shook, his legs and arms spasming uncontrollably.

Sakura's eyes widened and she looked at the nurses. "Get Naruto out of the room."

Naruto suddenly felt himself being pushed out of the room, and by the time he realized what was happening, the door was shut in his face. He whimpered as he realized one thing.

_...It's happening, and I'm useless. I can't even do anything for the person I lo-_

He gasped at his thought.

"So I...no...it was just a slip of the tongue, another accident," he convinced himself as he sank to his knees. There was no point in going in; he couldn't do anything.

A short while later, the door opened. Sakura came out, her face more swollen than before.

"He had another seizure, as you saw," she sniffed, trying to keep her tears from running down her face, "But…Naruto…"

"Sasuke-kun had a stroke."

"...Huh?"

Utter confusion rand in Naruto's ears, and the boy couldn't think clearly. The walls seemed to be closing in on him, and he was frozen, his feet stuck to the ground.

_This isn't supposed to happen, especially to someone as young and strong as Sasuke...I..._

"He's in a coma and on life support. Who knows if he'll ever wake up…"

A weight seemed to slam down on Naruto's shoulders. "Never wake up?"

_Would this have happened even if I hadn't punched him?_

_I'm sorry, Sasuke._

_I love you._

A/N: Ooh, what is it that happened between Sasuke and Sakura that Naruto doesn't know about? There's a nice twist next chapter that I don't think most of you will see coming. You had to really understand what was happening and analyze to get it. So, until then, please review. We're looking at about 14 chapters total, so…Next chapter: Truth!


	4. Truth

A/N : Hey! Yes, this chapter, I think, has a nice twist it in and sets the whole story up. I enjoyed writing this because there's some angst, squee. I'm still kinda setting up the details for the end; not quite sure if it should be happy or sad, and if it's sad, how sad. Anyway, please read and review. Today's my birthday! How old am I? Around about as many chapters as I want in this story…Approximately.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

'_**Till Death Do Us Part – Truth**_

_I love you._

Naruto simply stared at Sakura, unable to speak. Tears poured down her flushed face, and, shutting her eyes closed, she threw her arms around Naruto and held him tightly.

"Naruto!" she sobbed. "Sasuke-kun…I can't believe this is happening to him…Naruto!"

"Sakura-chan…" he trailed off.

_This isn't happening. It can't be._

He put his strong arms around the crying girl and hugged her securely to his chest. He felt strange; numb even. It's as if nothing had just happened…

_It's so empty._

_I can't love him. Not if it feels like this…Not if I don't feel anything!_

_I can't._

"Why, Sakura-chan?" the blond grimaced. "Why does it feel like I don't care? Sasuke's my best friend, and I only feel...numb."

"You two!" a voice called.

The duo looked up to see Tsunade standing right beside them, her face expressionless. They immediately pulled away from each other.

"What just happened? Dammit, I've been running back and forth all day because of what happened during Naruto and Sasuke's mission yesterday. Do the doctors here not know how to diagnose a patient!? Of all days…" she put on an unnaturally sour look and pushed the door to Sasuke's room open. She entered it and shut the door behind her, not giving Sasuke's teammates a chance to follow.

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto turned to face his pink-haired friend. "What's wrong with Sasuke? Why were you crying earlier? Is he going to be okay now, besides...the coma? The stroke? Sakura-chan..."

Sakura's eyes widened and she gazed down at the floor, "A nurse that examined Sasuke-kun the first day missed something, probably from not being attentive enough. Because of that, we lost time and thought it was something else. You see, what happened is…Naruto, this is a long story. Can I tell you later?"

"But Sakura-chan, I need to know what's wrong with him!" Naruto cried as his emotional floodgate finally tore open. "Is Sasuke gonna be okay?"

"Naruto, do you want to get some ramen?" she asked brightly, changing the subject.

"That doesn't matter now! I…" Naruto's stomach suddenly grumbled loudly, echoing through the hallway.

"Let's go get some ramen. My treat," she nudged gently.

"Not until baa-chan comes out and tells us what happened!" Naruto crossed his arms. "I won't be able to enjoy it until then! Sasuke's more important anyway!"

The two sank to the floor together and just sat there in silence, Sasuke's health an ominous cloud hanging above them. What seemed like an eternity passed, and the two eventually drifted off to sleep. Sakura lay her head on Naruto's shoulder and Naruto against the wall. When the door squeaked open, the jolted awake, rubbing their eyes.

"Naruto, Sakura, come in," the Fifth Hokage motioned.

Suddenly wide awake, the two stood up and followed Tsunade, who took her place at Sasuke's bedside. The Uchiha lay on the hospital bed, but seemed so pale that his skin was almost translucent. The tube in his throat was gone, replaced by ones in his nose instead. A breathing mask covered his mouth, but it seemed to barely be doing any good; in his struggle to breathe, it sounded as if his throat was being scraped with sandpaper. A pained look adorned his face, but it only seemed as if he were having a nightmare. Uchiha Sasuke lay there like he was sleeping.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura walked to stand beside her mentor and Sasuke's side while Naruto said nothing. He simply sat down in that horrible chair by Sasuke's bedside.

Tsunade smiled lightly and placed her hands on Sasuke's chest. A pale green light formed around her palms, and the raven haired seemed to grimace faintly, but then reverted to serenity. His breathing lowed and evened out, and Naruto stared in awe, his cerulean eyes large in amazement.

"…a…a..." Sasuke's pale lips moved slightly, sound barely escaping his mouth.

"At least that's been taken care of," Tsunade grinned as she removed the mask from Sasuke's face. He even seemed to have a little bit of color in his skin again.

"Baa-chan!" Naruto piped up. "Is he out of the coma? He talked…He's just sleeping now, right?"

Sakura shook her head. "Despite what most people think, coma patients do move and talk a bit unless the coma is really bad. He responded to pain, so I guess the coma isn't too bad…But in the end, he has to wake up himself. We can give him a better chance of waking up, but the last part is inevitably up to him and his body. Tsunade-sama, how bad is it?"

"He has a fair chance of waking up," Tsunade closed her eyes. "He reacts to pain and loud voices. His eyes flutter every once in a while and he occasionally says things. He could very well wake up, and we'll do our best to make sure he gets out of the coma."

"Baa-chan!" the blond gazed into the Hokage's eyes fiercely, "What exactly was wrong with him?"

"Naruto…" Sakura stared at the blond.

Tsunade sighed, "Sasuke had a heart defect called mitral stenosis. Not enough blood was passing through his heart, probably due to childhood illness. It was manageable until he took those drugs, whatever they were. They infected his heart and caused it to weaken, and this is also why he had a stroke. When you punched him, that was it. I just healed his heart, so his heart should be fine now for the most part. He just needs to wake up soon preferably or he'll be in for a rough time later on. We need to keep an eye on him also because he may continue going into seizures. We'll have to get him on some medication for that; we just need to confirm the seizures so we know what to give him."

"Rough time?" Naruto cocked his head, "Why? And can't you fix the seizures?"

Tsunade looked around the room nervously before letting her eyes fall on Sakura. "Sakura, can you take over?" she glanced at her apprentice as she walked out of the room with fake cheer. "I have to go clear things up with the village and what happened with those rogue ninja. Bye!"

_Something isn't right._

An icy feeling ran through Naruto's body. Tsunade was acting strangely. Sakura seemed to be avoiding talking about Sasuke's condition. Even for someone who wasn't observant, it was painfully obvious that something was wrong.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto's voice wavered, sounding like it didn't even belong to him.

"Let's go," Sakura closed her eyes and opened the door. "W-we'll go for ramen or something? You can come and see Sasuke-kun after, but I don't want him to hear what I'm going to say to you just yet. You know that coma patients can hear us, right?."

"Yeah," the blond stood up, bewildered, and walked with Sakura out the door.

The pair exited the hospital in silence, not speaking at all the whole way to Ichiraku. The whole world seemed to be on mute; nothing was as it was before. Eventually, to Naruto's delight, Ichiraku's ramen stand was visible. Naruto sat himself in one of the stools and looked up at Sakura; she was still standing as if she was in a trance.

"Two miso ramen please, with extra pork!" Naruto yelled to the ramen chef who simply nodded with a smile.

"Okay Naruto, sit down." Fresh tears began to trickle down the pink haired teen's cheeks again as the vacant look disappeared from her eyes.

"I am sitting," Naruto stated confusedly, "But maybe you should sit…"

"Oh, that's right, you are, but I should too, shouldn't I?" Sakura forced a smile. She took a seat beside Naruto and took a deep breath.

"Naruto, this is going to be hard on you. Even Tsunade-sama didn't want to tell you, but someone has to. If or when Sasuke-kun wakes up, his life will change forever. Part of me doesn't want him to wake up so he can die painlessly, but the other half of me is selfish and wants him alive! It's so hard…" she sobbed.

Naruto was so cold that he could almost feel the ice forming over his fingertips. He began to tremble from fear as chills ran up and down his spine.

"What…is it? Sakura-chan…"

Sakura reached for Naruto's hand and began to clench it. Her tears feel onto his cold hand as she choked out her words.

"Naruto, Sasuke probably has epilepsy from that head injury, but that's not it. That can be controlled. Even his heart condition was handled. The problem is…"

"Go on," Naruto pushed, but not quite sure he wanted to know.

"It's called spinocerebellar ataxia. His cerebellum, the part of his brain responsible for all movement, is breaking down. This means...Sasuke is losing his ability to move or do anything at all. It happens slowly over time, but after a few years, he won't be able to walk, talk, eat, write, or do anything at all. He eventually won't even be able to blink or breathe on his own! He'll be completely bedridden. His mind will stay the same though; he'll be able to think like you or me. He...he is going to be a prisoner in his own body. His life…it's falling apart!...Naruto, I'm so scared for him!"

The ice quickly turned to numbness. Time seemed to stop. Thoughts ceased to pass through Naruto's head. Words came out of Sakura's mouth, but they didn't make sense. Nothing made sense.

Not anymore.

"Can't you cure him?" Naruto uttered, grasping at the last faded thread of hope.

But she shook her head. "There's no cure. We can ease the symptoms, but that's about it."

"Life…span?" was the single word the blond was able to choke out.

Tears seemed to flow down like a waterfall from her eyes. "That's the thing. Normally, it's about ten years. Results say that Sasuke has had this disease for a few months already, but the stroke…A stroke basically kills the brain cells of the area it affects. And spinocerebellar ataxia kills the brain cells in the cerebellum...The stroke affected the cerebellum, so, the disease has…sped up. And now he's in a coma, and one of the best treatments for spinocerebellar ataxia is rehabilitation. Depending on how bad it is…Who knows how much time he has left? Naruto, did you notice him falling over or having trouble moving lately? Maybe bad reflexes?"

_The day we trained…When Sasuke first stumbled over…_

"_**Ooh, be careful Sasuke! Wouldn't wanna damage your pretty Uchiha face, would you?"**_

_The reason he didn't avoid my attack…_

_**Suddenly, his pale legs were shaking and he couldn't control them…His fist rammed into Sasuke's chest, throwing him several yards backwards and slamming him to the ground.**_

_You weren't too tired to protect yourself. You had lost your reflexes…_

_**He fell face forward, not even shielding his face with his hands.**_

_Sasuke…_

_**His knees suddenly buckled beneath him and he was on the ground again.**_

_Why didn't I see it before? His life was falling apart before my eyes, but I didn't even realize it…_

"Naruto…Sasuke-kun will never be a ninja again, let alone have a normal life." Her mouth suddenly curved upwards, tears still falling like diamonds. "But I swear, Naruto, I'll save him! I'll become a chuunin and work hard under Tsunade-sama and develop a cure! Things will get better, so let's hold on!"

Two steaming bowls of ramen were suddenly in front of the duo, but Naruto had lost his appetite long ago.

"No…this isn't happening…not to Sasuke…It can't! He'll overcome it and get better!" He choked out, his sore eyes watering.

"Naruto! He…he'll need help when he wakes up to get back up on his feet…that is if he can even stand depending on how far the disease has progressed. I'm trying, you know! We'll help him together."

"No, not Sasuke…I can't do anything to help him! I'm useless!"

Words and images did not process through Naruto's brain. It was done. Donedonedonedonedone…And nothing or nobody could help him now. Everything was on autopilot. The world didn't exist anymore.

"WAIT, NARUTO!"

Uzumaki Naruto was running. Running where, who knows. His brain had shut off, only leaving him to go by instinct. He didn't understand or even realize what he was doing. All he knew was sheer pain, agony, sorrow, anger...

Darkness.

Pain erupted. Crimson dripped. Wind blew.

And a single diamond fell from the sky.

The gray sky loomed before Naruto and before he knew it, thousands of heaven's tears came pouring down before him. Naruto gazed at his surroundings, unsure of where he was. He looked around to see himself sprawled out onto a meadow, the grass stained scarlet.

_What happened?_

Pain seemed to run up his arms, and he looked to see what was wrong. His hands were covered in burns and were caked with blood, and the sight made his eyes widen.

_Why am I here?_

The Uzumaki stood up, a dull ache rushing through his legs, to discover that he was in the field where he first became a genin, the field where Sasuke had first fallen.

_The field where I killed Sasuke._

_That's right…Sasuke…I killed him…If I hadn't done anything, he'd be awake. He'd be here and he'd live a lot longer! We wouldn't have to worry because Sakura would have a long time to save him…_

And then agony sang through him. Naruto collapsed onto the ground, grabbing at the bloody grass. Hopelessness filled him, suffocating him, choking him, throttling him.

"Sasuke! No...I don't want to see you...like this! You can't leave me like this…! I…I need you!"

Shocked by the truth of his own words, the ninja began to pound the ground below him, causing anguish to burn through him.

"Naruto! What happened?"

Haruno Sakura was dashing towards the pain stricken blond. She fell beside him and tried to restrain him, holding onto him as the rain showered them both.

"Don't do this! What happened? You're covered in burns and blood!"

Naruto stopped beating the ground and turned to look at his friend, a horrified look on both their faces.

"I don't know."

"_Naruto…let yourself slip and I'll take over."_

The thirteen year old's eyes widened.

"Kyuubi."

"What?"

"_That's right. Watch your step…"_

"The nine tailed fox demon is within me and he's trying to get out!" Naruto exclaimed angrily. "I lost my grip and I guess…he wants out."

Shock crossed Sakura's face. She had never known that the Kyuubi was sealed within Naruto, and it came as a surprise to her. She eventually regained her grip and her face took on a comforting look.

"Naruto, hold still." Her hands began to glow green as she placed her hands on the blond's body.

A few minutes later, the mint green faded away from her hands. Naruto suddenly felt a soft, warm feeling run through him.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan!" he grinned, "but what happened to me?"

"No problem," she smiled in return, "and I don't know…maybe the Kyuubi's chakra burned through your skin? But you should try to take it easy and calm down. We don't want that to happen again, and you need to be healthy for Sasuke's sake!"

"Right," Naruto nodded determinedly, "but what can I do to help?"

_Sakura-chan…you can help Sasuke. But what can I do? I…I think I really like him in a way I shouldn't._

_What can I do?_

Suddenly, the rain stopped falling. An idea crossed through the blond's mind, causing him to smile faintly.

"Maybe I can help Sasuke, Sakura-chan. I can't do anything to save him like you, but I can be by his side. I'll go to the hospital everyday and look after him! And when he wakes up, he can live with me! I'll take care of him and make sure he's happy. He'll live long enough for you to cure him!"

_Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something? Dammit, I can't forget things now!_

_If I forgot, maybe it's not important…_

Sakura began to glow with happiness. "Naruto, that sounds amazing! See, you're not useless! You're Sasuke's best friend. He'll have a hard time adjusting at first, but between you and me, I think he can overcome it and win!"

"Of course he can!" Naruto beamed.

And a small, but visible rainbow broke through the rainclouds.

A/N: And the plot thickens…Can you tell that I'm a Japanese drama fan? I wanted to use my knowledge of this illness for something, so…Please R & R! I decided to end it on a somewhat light note because it's not going to be that light from now on. So until next time – Chapter 5 - Sleep.


	5. Sleep

A/N: Hmm, I'm actually doing a lot of research on dying people for this. I even got out a book on it XD. I guess I'm serious about this. Not much for me to say this time though…Oh, and 'itadakimasu' means "let's eat!" basically. Sorry for some of the formatting, but I can't seem to get underlines for some reason. Forgive if it looks...messier than what I intended.

Edited August 25, 2012.

DISCLAIMER: I wish I owned something. If I did, Naruto would be horrendously screwed up.

'_**Till Death Do Us Part**__** – Sleep**_

**August**

The sun was shining down upon the citizens of Konoha. Not a single cloud inhabited the sky, and nothing could destroy the joyful mood of the city. The laughter and bustling of the citizens echoed within the four colorless walls that haunted Naruto, and it only seemed to add to the sorrowful mood in the room. A thin blond boy sat in an undersized plastic chair as he held onto the pale hand of the raven-haired comatose patient.

It was like that every day. Uzumaki Naruto would just sit in that cheap chair, holding the hand of Uchiha Sasuke. Everyday, Naruto prayed for him to wake up. Everyday, Sasuke would continue to sleep.

"Hey…Sasuke. Can you hear me?" Naruto asked quietly, far from his usual happy self.

Uchiha Sasuke stirred slightly, but that was nothing new.

"Dammit, bastard…When are you gonna wake up?"

A tall silver-haired man suddenly walked in, a mask adorning the lower half of his face. With a wave, he grinned cheerfully. "Yo, I heard about Sasuke from Sakura! Sorry I'm late, but a young school girl got lost and…"

But the words just seemed to slip right through Naruto's ears; it didn't matter. Nothing mattered if Sasuke didn't wake up.

"Kakashi-sensei," the blond lowered his eyes. "How much longer until he wakes up do you think?"

"Don't be so down, Naruto," the jounin continued to grin beneath his mask. "Sasuke will likely wake up. Most patients wake up after a month, and it's only be a few weeks since Sasuke fell into a coma. Regardless, even if he doesn't wake soon, it is like he'll wake up eventually. And if he never wakes up, it was meant to be. Everyone has to die eventually, precious comrades included. You should just continue to hold on and actually eat. You've lost weight."

Naruto looked up angrily at his sensei. "How can I take the time to eat or go home? What if Sasuke wakes up? He can't wake up alone!"

"And you can't stay here all the time," Kakashi stepped forward and placed one gloved hand on the blond's shoulder. "I'll stay here when I don't have missions. Sakura's here too. You can't take on the burden alone. So, let's go out and have some ramen! I'll get Sakura to cover for you."

"But…I want to be here when he wakes up!"

"And you won't be here at all if you don't eat. You see, if you don't eat, you'll die. You won't be much good to Sasuke then."

Naruto's mouth curved up into a smile, realizing that his sensei was right. "Sure. You're right! He'll definitely wake up! I was just kinda sad for a moment, but everything will be back to normal soon! Thanks, Kakashi-sensei. Itadakimasu!"

**September**

"a…za…gu…"

Naruto bolted upwards, "Sasuke!?"

And then there was silence.

The orange-clad ninja sighed and slumped over once again. Every time his best friend's eyelids fluttered or he uttered some incomprehensible words, Naruto could only assume that he was waking up. That was never the case though.

Outside, the leaves had begun to transform into vibrant colors and fall to the ground. The merry cries of the academy students were louder than ever, and the world outside the white rooms was a different universe, a different universe than the one that Naruto lived in, isolated and alone, waiting for Sasuke.

"Naruto," Sakura kneeled beside the blond who hadn't even noticed her entry. "You should go outside or go on a mission. You've barely left the hospital in weeks. You need to get some fresh air."

Naruto shook his head, "It's not like there isn't any air inside. I just want everything to go back to normal."

The kunoichi smiled lightly, "Naruto, I don't think things will ever be quite the same until I get the cure…but that's our hope, right? Oh, and guess what! I passed the chuunin exam! So did Ino, Kiba, Hinata, and everyone else! I can understand why you didn't take the exam this time with everything that's been happening recently, but now we're a step closer to saving him! If Tsunade and I can find the cure, things can be good again!"

His cerulean eyes widened and a grin spread across his entire face. "Sasuke's gonna be all right!?"

Happiness seemed to dance within the sea foam eyes. "Probably!"

**October**

"Heart rate normal. Brain waves comatose. No changes," Tsunade plainly read off of her clipboard.

"Can't you get him out of the coma!?" Naruto stood up, anger invading his face.

"We've done everything we can to help him, but he's not responding!" Tsunade replied, slightly irritated herself. "He's still within a moderate coma, not a vegetative state, but he just won't wake up!"

Time passed slowly for Naruto, who was stuck within his moment of tragedy. His beautiful jovial eyes had become lifeless over the past few months, and it was getting harder for his friends to make him smile again.

"Hey, Naruto, happy birthday!" Sakura beamed. "Wanna go to Ichiraku? I'm sure Sasuke won't mind if you decide to enjoy your day as long as you still care for him."

"Today's my birthday?" Naruto asked monotonously.

"Of course it is!" Sakura's eyes widened. "You can't forget something like that! Naruto, you're dying! Why are you throwing your life away? You can't be here all the time, wasting away! He wouldn't want to see you this way, and you know that!"

"You don't get it, Sakura!" Fury seemed to spread through Naruto's voice. "Sasuke was alone his entire life! He was even alone when he was with us! It's…it's painful to be alone! He needs me here with him!"

Sakura's eyes widened. She had a hard time coming up with an argument for that one.

**November**

"You know, bastard," Naruto's voice echoed weakly, "I had a nightmare last night. It was about the second last time we had a conversation four months ago. You know, the time right before you went into cardi- whatever? We were talking. We made a promise, something really important. But that's not it. You said something like, 'Don't make me say this again, Naruto. I lo…'. Sasuke, what were you going to say?"

The Uchiha stirred slightly, but made no attempt to say anything.

Naruto curled his hands into a fist and slammed them into the wall beside him, splitting his knuckles open from the force.

_Dammit! I can't explain how I feel. Why is it like my life is fading away? I do need him…_

_Why am I hoping that he was going to say, 'I love you' to me?_

_It's not right to feel this way._

_I can't love him._

_But I need to be with him._

**December**

The snow fell gently onto the icy ground beyond the window. The cool breeze chilled the citizens of Konoha, and the trees were long dead.

Dead like Naruto's soul.

People hugged, laughed, gave gifts, kissed underneath the mistletoe. After all, today was Christmas. To Naruto, it was just another day, a day with Sasuke in a coma within these frightening white walls.

**January**

And life went on. The bitter cool air stung the cheeks of Uzumaki Naruto whenever he opened the window, and it only made his heart sear with agony even more. He entered the new year with a heart not fully formed, a heart worn down from sadness. Despite all the people around him that loved him, the one he loved the most just slept on.

_My New Year's Resolution: to decide what our relationship is and how I feel about you, Sasuke. To make sure you wake up from this coma. To make sure I'm here with you when you do. To make sure...you're happy._

**February**

Sasuke continued to lie on that cotton bed as he slept through the months peacefully. Not a single seizure had occurred since July due to the medication Sakura had been administrating. Except for the occasional twitch, the quiet sounds, the up and down movements of his chest, and the vaguely fluttering eyelids, the ivory skinned boy had not moved in seven months. Nurses had to come in every once in a while to wash him, cut his hair, turn Sasuke on his back or side whenever he had been in one position for too long, and do so many other things for him. Naruto tried to push the idea out of his head, but somewhere inside he knew that in the future, after Sasuke would one day wake up...these nurses might have to do the exact same thing for him again, but while he was in a conscious state.

"Sasuke…" Naruto gazed into Sasuke's peaceful face, wishing for some strand of hope to find him.

The Uchiha's face twitched, and his mouth seemed to be moving more than usual, just enough for Naruto notice.

"Bastard? Are you waking up?" his eyes widened.

And all hell broke loose.

"NII-SAN! WHY ARE YOU SHOWING ME THIS!?"

The cream colored boy's voice was shaky, filled with torture and pain, as well as cracking from having not been used in so long. An indescribable raw sense of agony was unleashed, something Naruto had never heard before from Sasuke.

The Uchiha suddenly began to shake violently. His legs jolted suddenly and kicked the bed sheet up into the air with sheer force. His arms unleashed a powerful energy and smashed into the small colorless cabinet beside him, shattering both the cabinet and his hand. Blood dripped onto the floor and Sasuke's back arched to the point of snapping.

"SASUKE!" the blond stood up, trying to get out of the way as a fury of med-nins ran into the room, Sakura among them.

Naruto shielded his eyes from the sight before him with his hand, but it was pointless. His whole world was already fading to black…

_Stop it!_

"Naruto?"

Cerulean eyes opened.

"Sakura?"

"Thank God you're awake!" Sakura breathed a sigh of relief as she stood over Naruto, "You fainted. Not a surprise; that was a really bad seizure to look at."

"What happened to Sasuke?" Naruto bolted up to find himself still surrounded by the four frightening walls, but somewhat relaxed by the sight of Sasuke resting tranquilly in the bed, bandages covering his injured hand.

"About that," Sakura looked down, "I think Sasuke's fighting a battle in himself, struggling to live. He's reliving that moment, the moment that changed his life. The moment," she turned away, anger tainting her voice, "Uchiha Itachi took his family away from him. I guess it's become so bad within him that it triggered an emotional response and gave him a seizure. It was scary, but we upped his medicine a bit, so it shouldn't happen again."

Naruto bit his lip, "Is he getting worse?"

"Besides his hand, on the contrary, he actually made a sentence. He's getting better!" the medical ninja grinned.

The blond felt a rush of hope, but was still out of sorts. "Sakura, he sounded in pain. He's never showed us that side of him before. He always has a mask on and is only willing to show his anger or hatred. To hear him sound so…sad was scary."

The pink-haired chuunin sat down beside Naruto and sighed. "He's been hiding his emotions from us, from himself, so he can live on to kill Itachi. I guess he thinks that being ruled by hatred is the only way to make him live his dream of killing his brother."

"But," Naruto grinned suddenly, "he's not alone. He's gotta see that! We're here with him everyday, and I'm sure he knows that."

**March**

"Happy Birthday, Sakura," Naruto smiled weakly, gripping Sasuke's uninjured hand.

"Thanks, Naruto!" the newly fifteen year old med-nin grinned.

The blond's expression quickly reverted back to being faintly depressed as he gazed into the pallor of Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura had been right the month before; he hadn't gone through another attack since the medication was upped.

"Do you think tha-"

"I have to kill him, Sakura. Let me go…" a familiar voice echoed through the room, a voice that was used so little that it was a shock to hear.

_Sa…Sasuke?_

The two immediately spun around to stare at their friend. Sasuke's eyelids were fluttering open.

And that's when Naruto felt his hand being gripped in return.

Tears sprang to Naruto's eyes, "Sasuke…"

Sakura had a shocked look on her face, "Sasuke-kun?"

"Is he waking up!?" Naruto asked excitedly, "He's waking up, right? It's gonna be okay!"

The birthday girl shook her head, "Not quite, but he's getting there. He'll wake up soon."

"Sakura-chan, what is he talking about anyway?" the blond asked, "Do you know?"

"Naruto," Sakura sighed as she pulled up a chair to sit beside him. "Do you remember when Sasuke-kun told us he took drugs before? Well…I was there when he bought them."

"What!?" Naruto yelled, his face quickly flushing red with rage. "Couldn't you have stopped him!?"

"I wasn't sure back then!" Sakura replied, her eyes watering. "I didn't know…well, I'll explain from the beginning."

"Back in early July one night, I was just going on a walk after my hospital shift. You were on a mission, but Sasuke-kun wasn't. I thought it might be nice to go see him, so I walked to the Uchiha district to see if he was home. A few minutes away from his home, I saw him talking to someone and receiving a package from them. It seemed like I shouldn't interrupt, but I knew something was wrong, so I tried to hide. When the guy left, I saw Sasuke-kun had a backpack and wasn't walking towards his house, but towards the village gates."

"_**Sasuke-kun?"**_

_**Sasuke looked up to see Sakura staring at him, her eyes reflecting worry.**_

"_**What're you doing here? Just out for a stroll? Go home."**_

"_**Sasuke-kun, what did you get from that guy?" she pointed to the package. "Something interesting?"**_

"_**It's none of your concern!" he replied rather defensively and turned away from her.**_

"_**Oh…is it important?" Sakura's eyes looked to the ground meekly.**_

_**The Uchiha survivor shrugged, "It'll keep me sane." Without another word, he began to walk forward.**_

"_**Are you…leaving?"**_

"_**I have to kill him, Sakura," he continued forward, but, without warning, stumbled over his own feet and flew headfirst into the ground.**_

"_**SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura screamed as she ran forward, catching the raven-haired before he landed.**_

"_**Let me go…It's fine!" Sasuke raised his voice and swiftly stood up. "Just leave me alone. Tonight's not the night for this." And with that, he strolled off in the direction towards his complex without looking back.**_

_**And gently, his final words were carried away by the wind and the fluttering leaves of Konoha Village.**_

"_**Goodnight, Sakura."**_

"I think he almost went to Orochimaru that night," Sakura shuddered, "and was probably going to use the drugs to keep himself happy so he could live with himself, to stop him from feeling like dying. That's just one theory though...I've also thought that maybe he already knew he had spinocerebellar ataxia, and, trying to escape from the truth, though that drugs could help him deny from his fate. When he fell…he knew he couldn't leave anymore. That's why he didn't go to Orochimaru, but he used the drugs at his house anyway. He used an infected needle, most likely."

"Sasuke did that?"Naruto inquired, stunned. "I think I get it now…So, when he wakes up, I'm going to beat him up for being that stupid! That bastard, how could he think of doing that to us?"

"Revenge," Sakura whispered. "He lives for the death of Itachi. You know, Naruto…Sasuke will never be able to kill Itachi. He'll never go on another mission again. You realize that, right?"

Naruto simply grinned, "He's gonna be all right. You said it yourself; you'll be able to cure him soon. Drugs…I don't know why he would resort to that, but I'll find out when he wakes up!"

**April**

"Wake up soon," Naruto clutched Sasuke's icy hand tightly, "or I'll kill you."

_Sasuke, I still don't understand. I don't think I ever will, but when you wake up, maybe I'll get it. Maybe I do…love you._

"Don't screw with me…" Sasuke breathed, still stuck within his never-ending nightmare, "Itachi…how could you…Mom and Dad…"

"It's okay, Sasuke," Naruto attempted to smile and clutched his best friend's hand. His hand was squeezed tightly in return.

**May**

And Naruto slowly began to lose hope. His fingers were slowly slipping from the edge of the cliff, and he was about to tumble into the dark depths below.

The doctors began to suggest taking Sasuke off life support.

**June**

"Sasuke," Naruto lowered his eyes. "Why won't you wake up!? Dammit!"

"Naruto, give it time. He will, he has to wake up!" Sakura cried, tears threatening to fall.

The two ninjas had changed drastically in the time that had passed. Sakura had grown taller and began to take on a more womanly figure. Her hair was still cut short, and she adorned green shorts and a red, wide-shouldered tank top instead of her old dress.

Naruto, on the other hand, was now wearing a black and orange jumpsuit, but that wasn't the unordinary part. Shockingly large, black circles lay beneath his lifeless azure eyes, and his body was thin, verging on wiry. He had grown taller by a few centimeters, but he was far from the Naruto of eleven months ago.

"Sasuke…I'd give my life to save yours. I've always dreamed of being Hokage, but Sasuke, you bastard, you wanted to kill your brother. You were driven by revenge. The Hokage is to die for his people…yet I'd die for you alone," Naruto lamented, his head in his hands.

"Naruto!" Sakura looked to her left to stare at Naruto, angry yet sorrowful tears pouring from her sea foam eyes, "You've been going through the stages of bereavement; denial, anger, depression, bargaining, and acceptance. Your denial didn't last long and your anger only lasted throughout that Kyuubi attack. Thankfully, you've kept that under control. But Naruto, you've been grieving and bargaining for ten months now. You have to accept that things could be like this for a long time! You've got to go out and live your life. When was the last time you were on a mission? Tsunade is considering taking away your right to call yourself a ninja! You need to go on at least one mission! Naruto, you have the greatest chance at life out of everyone here. If you want be Hokage, you need to protect more than just one person."

"How can I, Sakura!?" Naruto stood up from his chair, "He's dying, and it's my fault!"

"It was already happening to him!" Sakura replied firmly, attempting to keep control. "You just made it known to us. It's far from your fault!"

Naruto let himself slump down onto the floor. "Why is it always Sasuke? Why?"

"Naruto," Sakura sniffed. "I just got back some results. His cerebellum…it has really atrophied. I don't think he'll consider his life worth living when he wakes up. Maybe we should just take him off life support. It'll be better for him that way."

"Can't we wait, even just one more month!?" Naruto yelled, "Just give him until his fifteenth birthday…"

**July**

"Hey, Sasuke, it's been a year since we've talked. I've been here with you everyday. You know, I miss you. I miss you a lot more than I thought I would. I've been thinking about you…about our relationship together. What does it mean to you? I'm not sure what it means to me right now."

"Hey, Sasuke, today's your birthday. Last year, we sat outside in the field where we became genin and talked. Remember that? That's probably one of my greatest memories up until the part when I hurt you. I'm sorry. I don't deserve the right to call you a bastard anymore. Funny, huh? I'm more of the bastard for doing this to you."

"Hey Sasuke. I don't know what to say anymore. Sakura thinks we should take you off life support today. She says that you might be angry if you were to wake up at this point. She says that she doesn't know if you'll want to live anymore, so why make you suffer? She says the disease has progressed so far, and your functioning…she left that part out, but…I know you can do it. Fight the darkness. You'll kill Itachi. You're fine now. Just…wake up. I'm begging you. You'll be healed in no time. So, wake up!"

Wet tears fell upon Sasuke's cool hand.

"Sasuke! Wake the hell up!"

And onyx eyes opened.

A/N: Sasuke woke up finally! And it took a year. Is his life really worth living now? How far has his cerebellum atrophied? But yay, we get to see Sasuke again XD. Until next chapter: Rejuvenation.


	6. Rejuvenation

A/N: Sasuke is fun to traumatize though, don't you think? Also, my updating has been good, I think. I've gotten eight things up (six chapters, two oneshots) up in two months. Nice considering it took me seven months for a seven chapter story before DX.

DISCLAIMER: You know that if I owned Naruto, Konoha would be destroyed by Sasuke, Tsunade would be dead, and then Sasuke would save Naruto from being killed by Madara, in which Naruto would kill him, and it would be some stupid, vague, yaoi ending.

'_**Till Death Do Us Part - Rejuvenation**_

And onyx eyes opened.

"S…Sasuke?"

Naruto's striking cerulean eyes widened in shock across his face. For this first time in a year, Sasuke's lovely obsidian eyes struck through his heart, leaving him vulnerable.

The Uchiha seemed exhausted despite his long sleep. Dark circles drooped under his eyes and his skin was a pasty shade of white. His eyes were cast downwards, and his charcoal hair hung in front of his face.

"SASUKE!" Naruto yelled, standing up. Tears of happiness threatened to spill over from his azure eyes as joy, ecstasy, and pure bliss ran through his veins, giving him a natural high. For the first time in a year he was happy, so happy...

"N…N…Nr'to."

The blond's heart ached from hearing Sasuke's voice. It was as if his heart was about to split from being unable to contain his emotions.

_Happiness?_

_Or love?_

_It's strange…I'm so happy, but it's more than that._

But something was wrong with Sasuke's voice. It wasn't coming out naturally, and it was if the Uchiha was having trouble producing sound at all.

The door suddenly slammed open. A med-nin in a red shirt and beige shorts entered the room, her mouth hanging open in a perfect O. Her rosette hair was pinned back, and her jade eyes watered.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura whimpered, unable to hold back her tears. Diamonds sparkled as they fell from her eyes, shining in the bright light as she ran forward and threw her arms around Sasuke's body, hugging him close to her.

"S...k'ra." Sasuke's voice was weak and barely audible, but it still sounded like the jingling of bells to Naruto's ears.

_Since when has his voice been so…beautiful?_

_But why does it sound like that, so...weird? Is it...the ataxia thingy?_

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried out again.

Naruto gazed at Sasuke. His face had slimmed down and his hair had grown, framing his pale face perfectly. The contract between his pallor and black hair was stark, yet beautiful. In a way, he seemed more mature, his beauty beyond his years. The only thing that marred his face was his fatigue that smelled faintly of illness.

Sasuke lifted his arms shakily as if he were trying to place them over Sakura to hug her back, but he failed, and they fell back to his side. Naruto's eyes widened, stunned. Iciness travelled through Naruto's body, slowly making its way from his skull to his feet.

_Is that…is that how bad that ataxia thing is?_

"Oh, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura grinned although a certain anxiety hung in her voice. She let her crush go and sat beside him instead. "You're probably weak from lying in this bed for so long! Do you know what happened?"

The raven-haired teenager was silent for a few moments. His eyes were still adjusting to the light and his vision was fuzzy. Disoriented, he opened his mouth to speak, "s-slept…Nr'to..."

_Sasuke…you're stuttering. You've never stuttered. You're so off…I can't believe I did this to you. You've never been like this! You're always so precise…I…I'm so sorry._

"That's right," Sakura clapped her hands, trying too hard to be joyous. "You've been in a coma for a year, so because of that, you're probably very weak from not having moved your body or spoken in so long. In any case, you're better, but you should stay for therapy so you can get your strength back. What do you think?"

More soundless moments passed uneasily. Silently, Sasuke gave a quick nod, but he seemed tense.

"That's great!" Sakura grinned, "In any case, I'm gonna steal Naruto from you for a bit. I gotta talk to him, but we'll be back in a couple of minutes, okay? By the way, Happy Birthday!"

Sasuke didn't reply, but Sakura took the chance to grab Naruto's naturally tanned wrist. Sliding off the bed, she dashed with Naruto out of the room, closing the door as quickly as she could. The kunoichi's visage was serious, completely different from the way she looked in Sasuke's room.

"Naruto, we need to talk about the future. Let's go outside."

Naruto gulped and nodded. "I need to talk to you about something too."

_Sakura…How can I tell you that I think I may be in love with Sasuke? You helped me out in that dream a year ago, so maybe you can help me again, but I don't want to hurt you. I just...don't understand my feelings at all._

The two made their way through the long, narrow hallways until a light glowed at the end of the path. Sakura pushed the final door open, revealing in a beautiful garden. The sun beat down harshly, and humidity hung in the air until it was hard to breathe. Flowers of soft pastel colors grew around in a circle, and there was a large pathway circling the whole yard. A few butterflies flew gently through the foliage. Sakura sat down on the steps leading toward the garden and motioned for Naruto to do the same.

Naruto took Sakura's cues and sat, turning to face her. "That was…scary. He was stuttering and seemed so out of it."

"I know," the chuunin replied melancholically. "That was just a part of waking from a coma. He hasn't used his body or voice in a while, so they're naturally weak. He's probably just tired, but it's so weird that he's the fragile one of the team. Kakashi is off on a ton of missions, you've been by Sasuke-kun's side since last year, and I'm just trying to save him and be the one that can fix everything. To see him like this…It makes me want to cry."

The blond nodded. "We've had our share of tears, right, Sakura-chan? We need to be strong enough for him so we can get him better! So, what did you wanna say?"

"As I said, it's about the future," Sakura sighed. "What I told Sasuke was the truth. He hasn't moved his body or spoken in a year, and that's why he's weak. Because of this, I can't really tell how bad the ataxia is. Based on results though, the best case scenario says that his current functions should involve very weak walking and poor coordination. We'll have to help him get around. He won't be able to pick heavy things up, and his sense of perception will be off too, so he might miss something when he reaches out for it, you know, like trying to pick up a box or tie a knot. He'll probably spill a drink when he tries to serve it. Worst case scenario is that he's already wheelchair bound and his speaking has started to deteriorate."

"Wheelchair…bound?" Naruto's voice echoed across the empty garden. He suddenly felt like a boulder had just crushed him and left him in broken pieces. His skin felt as cold as glass, but shattered glass.

_No, Sasuke…_

"Sasuke will need a wheelchair one day unless we cure him," Sakura breathed deeply. "We can give him medication to ease the symptoms and have him go through rehabilitation to try to maximize what he has, but it's not going to do too much. We can at least give him back some of his functioning from the coma and show him how to live with what he has. Normally, using medical ninjutsu, a month should fully restore a person who has woken from a coma, but the ataxia will make it take a lot longer, maybe three months, just for some functioning. But Naruto, where is Sasuke going to stay when he leaves? He can't live alone like this. I'm going to be at the hospital more than ever if I want to help cure him, and I'm going to try to fit in as many missions as I can to get stronger too."

Naruto's world seemed to be spinning. He was suffocating within himself, doomed to the flow of destiny. He couldn't breathe. He was choking. Fighting. Struggling. Losing. Dying.

"Naruto?"

The jumpsuit-clad ninja suddenly snapped away from his thoughts, woken by Sakura's voice. "Oh yeah! Sasuke and I made a promise that if he were…" he swallowed, trying to word his next thoughts, "losing out on life that I would take care of him. I swore on my life that I would. He can stay at my place. It's small compared to his, but it might be easier to get to places that way if it's hard for him to walk, right?"

"There are pros and cons to that," the med-nin closed her eyes. "At your place, it'd be easier for him to get to places while he can walk, but if he needs a wheelchair, his house would be better because he'll actually be able to move the wheelchair around. An apartment is too small for a wheelchair to fit, but he could move freely in his one floor complex. At this point, it might be easier at Sasuke-kun's mansion."

The genin nodded, "Sure. I swear I'll help him! I'll give him someone to hold onto. I'll be there for him!"

"Yeah!" Sakura smiled, "but the question is, when do we tell him? We can't hide it from him forever. We should wait until he's gotten all his strength back so he can handle it, but when and…who is going to tell him?"

Naruto looked at Sakura with concern and signed. "We'll tell him before he's ready to leave the hospital. We'll do it together!"

Sakura grinned. "Definitely. Oh, and you wanted to discuss something with me too? I think you said something outside of Sasuke-kun's room…"

Naruto froze and then stretched nonchalantly, "About that. I was wondering…"

_I have to do this or I won't be able to forgive myself!_

"It's just that…You're a girl, so you understand feelings, right? Yeah, about that..." Naruto could feel his face glow scarlet from embarrassment. "Last year, whenever I was around Sasuke, I felt kinda weird. Like…I don't know. When he was in a coma, I was depressed beyond anything. I had never felt that way before. When he woke up, I was happier than I had ever been, but I wasn't just happy….I felt weird again. Like I needed him or something. Do you know what that was? Was it…?"

Sakura tilted her head to the side. "Naruto, you don't know? I've known for a while…I can see in your eyes how much you care about him. I know you love him, and that's okay."

"_**I…I know you love him," she smiled weakly, "I can see in your eyes how much you care about him! It's heartbreaking…You should let him know how you feel. Let him know that someone cares. Maybe that's all he needs to move on happily."**_

_Déjà vu…That's so creepy!_

_But…I think she's right._

"But…" Naruto tried to figure out how to explain his thoughts, "I've never felt this way about him before."

"That's natural," Sakura's mouth curved into a smile. "Sometimes feelings can just spring on you like that, but the main thing is that you understand how Sasuke-kun feels. You're the only one with a chance of cracking the walls he has put up. You know his pain, his loneliness, something I'll never know…If anything, he's more likely to fall in love with you over me…" she trailed off.

"Anyway!" Sakura stood up and opened the door, "I think that's it. I'm going to go talk to Sasuke-kun and then Tsunade-sama. You can go see Sasuke-kun in a few minutes, okay?"

"Sure," Naruto beamed.

_It's so confusing, this whole love thing. He was always like a brother to me. Why do I love him now? It's kinda weird…_

The blond sat on the steps for a long time, trying to make sense of everything. Thoughts rushed through his head like an explosion, something that had never happened to him before; he tried to avoid thinking too much. When he had had enough, he went through the exit of the garden. Naruto wandered down the empty corridors alone, strolling with a huge grin plastered onto his face. When he reached the familiar hospital room, he opened the door loudly, banging it against the white wall.

Uchiha Sasuke still lay in his bed in the same position as earlier. The IV drip had been taken out since he had first woken up, but nothing else had changed. This made Naruto beam even more - Sasuke was still awake - as he stepped in and took a seat in his regular spot.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto continued to radiate. "Happy Birthday! I didn't get you anything yet, so I hope that's okay. I don't think you were ever into that kinda thing anyway, and –" he suddenly noticed that the Uchiha's eyes were closed.

"Sleeping?" Naruto asked softly. "That's okay. You need your strength back if you want to get outta here!"

The blond examined the body of the person he loved. His chest was moving up and down slowly, but peacefully. His face had some color to it and seemed only more gorgeous than before. What was startling though was the small, but gentle smile that lay on his visage. It was honest and pure; something Naruto had never seen before. He looked younger, like he was a small child again.

"Heh," Naruto snickered, "You look cute when you sleep, Sasuke-chaaaan."

His eyes snapped open. "What the hell did you say, loser?"

Naruto instantly flushed bright scarlet, glowing with heat and embarrassment, "Nothing! Nothing at all! Anyway, Happy Birthday! I didn't get you anything yet, but I can pick you something up later if you want!"

Sasuke shut his eyes closed again and placed his palms on the bed beside him. With great difficulty, he tried to sit himself up. His eyes flashed with panic and strain as he desperately wished his muscles to gain their strength back. It ended in failure and he plopped back down with an exasperated look.

"I'll help you!" Naruto immediately stood up and put his hands on Sasuke's back and chest, helping him sit up. He felt himself grow hotter by the second as he pressed against Sasuke's cool body.

"I'll d'it mmsself," Sasuke grumbled and tried to push Naruto away, but barely was able to put any pressure on him at all. His face became contorted in frustration, and he looked down in shame. Naruto blushed uncomfortably at the sight in front of him, plus from the difficulty Sasuke had speaking.

Naruto smiled, "Its fine! You've only been up for a little while, and you haven't moved in a year. You'll get your strength back, but I'll help you out until then!" The fourteen-year-old slowly lifted the fifteen-year-old lightly, placing him in a more upright position.

_It's so weird…He used to be the one who always had to help me. I was weak. I was a failure. Sasuke's far from that, but he seems so much more vulnerable…it's scary._

When Naruto finished, the other glowed a slight shade of pink. He looked in the opposite direction as Naruto sat down and he whispered, "D'I h've to...kiss?"

"WHAT!?" Naruto blushed ever harder, becoming an impossible crimson shade. He felt himself burn up like he had a fever.

_...I think he just asked me...if he had to...kiss me!?_

"I pr'm'sed!" Sasuke replied, embarrassed.

"_**I'll kiss you…if I live," the raven haired smirked weakly, "and I swear…that won't happen. I can feel it…So don't get your…hopes up...loser."**_

"About that," Naruto tried to calm himself down, "well…"

_I can't tell him yet that...he is...dying. I promised Sakura-chan! He is going to live, but...he's not fully cured yet. He'd kill me if he found out about his disease!…Actually, no, he'd want me...to kill him._

"If you really want to, we can do that later," he coughed, "but we don't have to kiss or anything! We're both guys after all…That'd be kinda weird, right?"

"You're...red," Sasuke looked back at Naruto. "'R you...gay?"

"Ah! That is…" Naruto was so light headed and faint at this point that he almost fell over.

The ivory skinned teenager smirked, "Not...s'prised."

"YOU BASTARD!" Naruto stood from his seat and pointed his index finger at Sasuke. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU WHEN YOU GET OUTTA HERE!"

Sasuke smirked, "Loser."

"I SWEAR I CAN AND I WILL!"

"..p'ntl'ss...to sit...for year...then," he tried to cross his arms and had some success.

"Well, yeah! And I…" the blond grumbled and sat down. He lost that one.

_Damn you!_

"V'sting...h'rs?"

"Visiting hours? They're from noon until eight I think..." Naruto continued to grin.

"But you...for so l'ng?"

He scratched his head. "I don't really know. Maybe they knew I'd kill them if they tried to make me leave."

"Why...stay?" Sasuke asked with little trace of emotion in his voice.

"Because!" Naruto beamed, "you're my friend!"

"Friend?" now it was Sasuke's turn to turn pink.

Naruto gazed into Sasuke's ebony face. When he blushed, it was so honest and real. It wasn't something that ever happened, but it wasn't unexpected. He was still so tired and weak after all.

_He's…_

_No, I can't say it!_

_Cute…_

_DAMMIT!_

"Aww, don't blush, Sasuke-chan. You have more friends than you think." Naruto, being friendly, elbowed Sasuke in the shoulder, causing him to wince in pain. As Naruto pulled away, a bruise quickly grew and spread over Sasuke's arm.

"Sasuke! I didn't realize you were so…"

"Weak?" Sasuke spat, "Pathetic?"

"What the hell?!" Naruto yelled. "You're nothing like that!"

"Don't..LIE!" Sasuke tried to yell back, but his voice cracked, causing him to have a coughing fit.

"Sasuke…" Naruto trailed off. He looked around the room and listened for any sound besides his and Sasuke's breathing. All was still. All was silent. There was nobody there to save Sasuke from the truth.

"It's fine," Naruto looked away.

_I can't lie to him._

"I...need...to kn'w! I'm..breaking..."

"STOP IT!" Naruto screamed in frustration. "It doesn't matter! Just go through therapy and get your strength back. Get your life back. You're fine, so don't give me this crap!" Yelling made him feel like utter crap though; Sasuke looked and sounded so fragile, like glass, yet Naruto was yelling at him.

The Uchiha looked up at the ceiling in frustration, but not a sound came out of his mouth.

Naruto felt like he had just been slapped in the face. His whole body stung and his heart was aching. He was falling apart, breaking to pieces on the ground. Goose bumps travelled down his arms like rivers of overflowing blood.

_I stepped on a land mine somewhere. I'm…I'm sorry._

"Sasuke-kun!" a girl called out from outside, "It's time for lunch!"

The door creaked open. Haruno Sakura stepped into the room with a tray of soup, apple juice, and two pills. Setting it down in front of Sasuke, she smiled honestly, "How are you feeling?"

"Pills?" Sasuke asked harshly, chilling Naruto to the bone.

"We talked about this earlier," Sakura replied benevolently. "One is to control your seizures and the other is to help with your movement!"

_Sakura-chan! If we go on like this, telling him will only hurt him, all of us, even more._

Sasuke didn't answer, but his eyes widened at the sight of the soup. "Tomato…soup?"

She flashed a grin, "Yeah! You like tomatoes, right?"

"Thanks…"

Naruto gazed at the scene in front of him with shock. Sasuke was actually showing some gratitude and seemed more open. The walls around him were gone. He was…different. There was something, some aura hanging in the air, but it was so unidentifiable, but so melancholic, yet so rich.

_No way. Sasuke? Do you…_

"Sakura-chan, why was I allowed to stay here? I thought there were visiting hours!" Naruto chuckled sheepishly.

"Kyuubi," Sakura whispered as if trying to hide the information from Sasuke. "We didn't want you angry."

If Sasuke noticed what they were talking about, he didn't show any signs of it. He reached out unsteadily for the spoon inside the bowl instead. With a quivering hand, he managed to pick it up, but he was so shaky that the soup just spilled out from the spoon. Blushing, he attempted to pick up the glass of apple juice, only to miss the glass and grasp at the air. His wrist hit the glass and knocked it off balance. It fell to the side, crashing onto the floor.

"AH!" Naruto stepped back as the glass hit the floor and the juice spread like an infection.

"I've got it, Naruto!" Sadness seemed to finally seep into Sakura's voice as she brought out a broom and pan from the corner. She quickly began to clean up the mess as she spoke to Sasuke.

"That's not your fault! I should have brought you a straw. You lost a lot of your strength, so how could I have brought you that? I was stupid! For food though, do you mind if someone feeds you? Unless we get you one of the meal replacement smoothies…"

"Sasuke!" Naruto called out to his best friend, but words didn't reach him. Sasuke was trembling at this point from anger and vexation. His eyes showed shame and guilt. A sudden fury flashed through his eyes and his hands curled up into fists.

"Therapy. Now."

Sakura stopped in her tracks and looked up at Sasuke. She was pained with overflowing guilt.

"I'll go talk to Tsunade-sama about that."

The days passed by speedily for the trio. Everyday, Naruto watched as Sasuke trained with Sakura, from simply learning to sit up again to walking while holding two bars for support. Slowly, he was able to move more efficiently. He was able to pick things up, so he was able to feed himself, though his perception was obviously off. He began to be able to sit himself up in his bed, and things seemed to be getting better. Before they knew it, three months had passed. The October leaves of Konoha had begun to fall once again in a fluttering of warm colors. Naruto's birthday was coming up in a few weeks. Life was becoming better, but of course, how could things last this way forever? Naruto knew this as he marched towards the familiar hospital room for the last time. The time had come for the truth to be revealed. Sasuke had to know something was up; after three months of rehabilitation, he still couldn't walk properly, and there was just something...off.

"Sasuke!" Naruto beamed as he walked into Sasuke's room. Uchiha Sasuke was sitting on top of his made bed, fully clothed in a simple black T-shirt and beige shorts. Without a sound, he stood up slowly at Naruto's arrival by pushing himself off the bed with his arms. He stumbled slightly on the way up, but kept his balance.

The blond grinned, "You're doing well."

He put his hands in his pockets, "Hn."

"Sasuke…" Naruto trailed off as Sakura walked in behind them.

She smiled at the two, "Ready to go, Sasuke-kun?"

_He's gotten quieter since he woke up three months ago. He knows, and he's waiting for us to tell him...or maybe it's because it's harder for him to talk now. _

"Actually," Sasuke kept his face expressionless, "I want to take a photograph of us."

"Really?" Sakura tilted her head, "I didn't think you liked that type of thing."

"It's important!" his cheeks he hissed before looking away.

"Yeah!" Naruto punched the air, "I brought my camera with me!"

The blond reached into his back pouch and pulled out a small camera. After several minutes of toying and fumbling with it, he laughed nervously, "…Sakura-chan? Sasuke? I don't know how to get the timer thing…"

"You idiot," Sasuke clumsily staggered forward and grabbed the camera from underneath Naruto's nose. With a few quick presses of a button, he set the camera down on a cabinet.

"In front of the bed."

The other two nodded as they all sat on the edge of the bed. Sakura sat on the left, sticking her tongue out and making a peace sign. Naruto sat on the other side, his trademark grin on his face that could light anybody's day up. Sasuke was in the middle, an expressionless look on his face. As the camera flashed, the pale skinned teenager stood up again. He took the camera and handed it to Naruto.

"Here," he stuffed it into his hand, "Take a picture of me and Sakura."

Naruto got up from the bed, wearing a well-deserved odd expression on his face.

_What the hell? This guy doesn't care about anyone but himself. Why does he want a picture with her?_

"Do you want a picture with me after?" the blond asked as he stood up, preparing to take the picture.

He sat himself on the bed beside Sakura, "No."

"Why!?" Naruto whined. "What's the difference!?"

"It doesn't matter."

Naruto crossed his arms angrily, "You're taking a picture with me if you like it or not."

"Hn."

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura blushed, her large eyes even bigger than usual, "You're…"

"Ramen," Naruto pressed the button lazily and the shutter flashed.

"You're supposed to say cheese, loser," Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Whatever!" Naruto gritted his teeth. He flicked a switch and the camera showed the pictures he had just taken. He gasped at the one of Sasuke and Sakura.

The pair sat beside each other with elegant beauty radiating from them. Sakura sat in her magenta top and jade shorts, her rosette hair hung around her chin as she gazed at Sasuke's visage. Her face was flushed pink as she stared specifically into Sasuke's obsidian eyes.

Sasuke on the other hand, was drop-dead gorgeous. His arm had made its way around Sakura's waist without Naruto noticing, and his eyes were locked onto Sakura's. If you looked carefully, a hint of a smile showed on his porcelain features. He was happy. His stark black clothing and hair only made his face shine brighter, capturing the essence and the mutual connection between the two.

_It's a lie. It can't be._

"My turn!" Naruto tossed Sakura the camera. As she took her place as the camerawoman, Naruto sat on the right side. He grabbed an uninterested Sasuke in a headlock with one arm and flashed a peace sign with the other

"Cheese!" a bright light flashed.

He whooped as he leaped off the bed and grabbed the camera, "All right!" He flicked the switch again and gazed at the picture of Sasuke and him. He was, of course, glowing with joy. Sasuke on the other hand, was not impressed. He had a sour expression on his face. However, his eyes seemed to have a certain amusement dancing within them. Beside Naruto, who was extremely tanned, he looked sickly.

"Um," Sakura cleared her throat. She took a seat beside the Uchiha and gave Naruto a knowing look, "Naruto and I need to talk to you about something."

Naruto understood the message and put the camera away, "And I'll print the pictures later."

"Sasuke-kun, you need to know this. Calm yourself down. Are you ready?"

"Hn," Sasuke inhaled deeply. A knowing look glinted in his onyx eyes. "I've known since before the coma that something is wrong with me, and I've been waiting for you to tell me."

Sakura gulped. "You have something called spinocerebellar ataxia. What it is…is…" tears began to pour from her eyes, "it means that -

"Sasuke, there's this thing in your brain that's breaking down," Naruto took over for Sakura, nodding in her direction. "You're going to…you're going lose your ability to do a lot of stuff over time like walk, talk, eat, write, and eventually breathe. It's okay though! You're going to be fine! Sakura-chan and Tsunade are looking for a cure for you!"

"And the stroke that put you into the coma affected your cerebellum, the 'thing' that's atrophying," Sakura hiccuped as he put her hand on top of Sasuke's, "so you've lost more functioning that way. You might notice that aside from your talking and walking being weaker than usual, your sense of perception is off and you even get dizzy or have blurry vision once in a while, but I swear, I'm going to become a better med-nin and I'll get a cure for this! I'll…I'll save you!"

_I'm sorry._

Naruto looked back at Sasuke. Shock had apparently registered in his brain because his eyes were larger than he had ever seen them before. A flood of emotions passed through his eyes, Naruto being able to identify disbelief, anger, and sorrow. He looked as if he was numb, and his skin was covered in goose bumps before a tense look settled on his face.

"How long," Sasuke asked carefully, "do I have?"

"I think the lifespan is ten years," Naruto curled his hands into fists, "but if you've had if for one and a half, maybe two years by now, less than that. And with the stroke thing…"

Sakura answered quietly, "We don't know."

"But it doesn't matter!" Naruto laughed, "Sakura-chan will get a cure. You're not going anywhere but home with me, bastard. I'll help you out, you know?"

"Don't screw around," Sasuke whispered angrily. He put his face in his hands and clutched at his hair, talking to himself more than anyone else, "but…if it's like this now, what about…Itachi…I never thought that illness…instead of…Itachi…I guess I was almost right...I'm...dying."

Naruto's heart shattered at the sorrowful scene in front of him, "Sasuke…"

"You remember our promise, don't you?" Sasuke looked back up, one eyes visible from beyond his hair. A solid, hateful look was plastered onto his face.

"It looks like you'll have to kill me."

A/N: So, now it begins; Some (one sided?) NaruSasuness begins from here and…SasuSaku? Did Sasuke have another reason or does he love Sakura? If he does, will Naruto manage to capture Sasuke's heart? Can Sasuke grasp the fact that revenge isn't everything? Until next chapter: Broken.


	7. Broken

A/N: I originally intended this story to be SasuSaku from Sakura's POV. It was about what she would do if Sasuke had three days to live. In the end, Sakura saved Sasuke with Tsunade's help, but he had spinocerebellar ataxia. So, he dealt the death blow to Itachi before it was too late and died peacefully. Then I read a beautiful story and decided that it would be better to write through the POV where you can't do anything; Naruto's POV. Yes, so the story is going to turn out entirely different now. It's a lot longer and the ending could be different...?

Edited August 25, 2012.

DISCLAIMER: I wish I owned Naruto so I could put Sasuke in a dress XD. To see him embarrassed would be cute.

_**'Till Death Do Us Part – Broken**_

"It looks like you'll have to kill me."

Shock settled into Naruto's system as memories of that day over a year ago recollected inside his mind.

_**"There's another…outcome. But it won't…happen. If I live…with complications. Dying."**_

_**"I swear I'll take care of you if that happens. It won't, but I'll stay by your side and help you. You won't have to be alone, Sasuke!"**_

_**"It won't happen. I'll die. I won't ever need…your help. But if it does…happen, promise me…Naruto. No matter what…you'll..."**_

_**"I swear! What!? I'll do it!"**_

_**"Kill me."**_

Sakura gasped and put a hand to her mouth. "You can't be serious, Naruto! You said you'd kill him!?"

"Sasuke!" Naruto gaped, "You can't…I can't…I can't ju-"

_That's what I was forgetting._

The ill teenager interjected, "You swore you would. I thought guys like you never went back on their word."

"What the hell happened, Naruto!?" Sakura demanded to know, her hands curling into fists as she stood up straight as a board.

"I thought…he'd make it without anything bad happening to him!" Naruto screamed as turmoil stirred within him. The Kyuubi remained silent, to his pleasure. "I didn't think this could happen! I swore I would do what he told me to…"

"Don't talk like I'm not here!"Anger was evident in Sasuke's voice. "I'm not dead yet."

"Exactly!" Sakura's sea foam eyes stared into obsidian ones. "You're still alive, so why make Naruto stain his hands with your blood!?"

"Because there's no reason to exist!" Sasuke was becoming furious, rage boiling inside his endless black pools. "Why live without a reason? I might as well BE dead. I'm going home."

Naruto nodded, "I'm going with you! Plus, I'm not going to kill you unless you give me a good reason to!"

"To live without a reason is a good enough reason to die!" the Uchiha spat. "Did you have a reason to live when all the villagers hated you? Didn't YOU want to die?"

"NO!" Naruto yelled, "I wanted to kill them because I was angry! I never wanted to die! I wanted to make them pay!"

"Revenge," his dark eyes brimmed with pure wrath. "That was my reason for living, and you expect me to continue to live with my broken ambitions?"

"Why can't you just live for other people!?" Naruto shouted. "Revenge isn't everything!"

Naruto's cheeks darkened, the scars on his face becoming three solid black lines running across each cheek. Fury began leaking from him in the form of scarlet chakra as his nails grew longer into claws. His eye teeth lengthened, becoming almost canine.

Sakura grabbed Naruto's arm, pulling at him, "Naruto, calm down! Don't get angry."

"I lived for one person. I lived to kill him. Nothing else mattered. His death was the sole purpose for my life, but now it's too late. Revenge was _my _everything," the Uchiha glared.

_His voice is so beautiful…So smooth and deep. It's kinda enchanting I guess._

"Sasuke…" Naruto's claws slowly retracted from Sakura's efforts and the sound of his best friend's voice, "Why can't you live for me? Why can't you live for me Sakura? Why can't you live for the people in your life that give a damn about you!?"

Sasuke didn't reply. He stood up from the bed and straggled towards the door, ignoring the ones who called themselves his friends.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed. "You're not alone, so don't you dare take your life away! Not when there's still a chance of saving you! Tsunade-sama and I are doing all that we can!"

"Neither of you matter to me. You never have and you never will."

Sasuke's words were like sharpened knives cutting into their skin again and again. Naruto suddenly felt as if he was bleeding, as if his heart was bleeding uncontrollably.

"What the hell do you mean that we don't matter to you, bastard!? How can you just say that!? How can you walk out on us like this after all that we've been through!?"

If Sasuke heard him, he didn't care. He shut the door behind him with a thud.

"Naruto…" Sakura said quietly, "Leave him be. He needs to cool off some steam, and with the way he is now, you'll catch up to him _too _quickly. Give him at least some sense of independence, of strength. I don't think he's the type to commit suicide anyway; he's too strong for that. Anyway, what happened between you and Sasuke-kun?"

Naruto's eyes were wet as he gazed into Sakura's visage.

_I never should have said anything to him._

Naruto sighed and told Sakura everything. With great of detail he began with the training accident and ended at the part where Sasuke went into cardiac arrest. He almost shed tears halfway through it, but he pulled himself together. When he finished, Sakura began to cry.

"Naruto," Sakura gulped, "You're going to regret it the rest of your life if you don't kill him and he dies suffering, in pain, or angry. You'll always wonder if you really made the right choice. Will you regret it if you kill him, but he dies happy? Or will you just regret his death in general? You'll still wonder if you made the right decision. Naruto, it's going to have to be your choice. If you decide to kill him, let me know. Just don't do it now; if you decide to, kill him if we don't have anything close to a cure and he's about to going through major suffering. Suffering as in he's losing the ability to breathe and can barely move at all."

"I can't just kill my best friend!" Naruto yelled. "His blood on my hands…That's not right! But for him to die angry at me…that hurts too. I wouldn't be able to bear it if he died like that…"

"Like I said, Naruto," Sakura opened the door to leave, "don't even think of doing that now. We should go to his house, either just you or me because he'll probably get angry if both of us go. Maybe you should since you're going to move in with him. Get him more comfortable with you. I already know you're comfortable with him," she winked.

"Uh…yeah!" Naruto punched the air, his cheeks tinted rouge. "I'm going to if he likes it or not! That's a promise!"

Uzumaki Naruto raced through the streets of Konoha. The blaze of the sun beat down on his back even though it was October, forcing him to wipe his forehead of sweat.

"Dammit, Sasuke! I'm gonna kill - no, I'm gonna beat you up when I find you!"

Naruto eventually made it to the Uchiha District during that hot afternoon, having unzipped part of his jumpsuit from the heat. Even though he had been to the Uchiha District a few times, he was always shocked at how huge, how _lonely, _it seemed to be.

_And for him to live alone in this gigantic place…No wonder he is the way he is._

"Sasuke!" he yelled. "Where are you!?"

The blond ran into the first house on his left and tried to remember his way back to Sasuke's room, but despite his efforts, the raven-haired teenager wasn't anywhere, not even in his own bedroom. Naruto cursed angrily and ran back outside. The sky had darkened, and rain began to sprinkle down from the heavens. A rush of adrenaline flowed through Naruto's body as he ran forward towards the end of the pathway.

_Why am I going this way? I should check out the other houses, but I feel like I have to go this way._

He made a few twists and turns at each fork, his intuition directing his feet. The rain slowly started to pour even harder, drenching his sun-kissed skin.

A few small, but unmistakable dry sobs choked out from the distance.

_Sasuke?_

Naruto rushed forward until he could make out a white, thin figure ahead of him. Sasuke was sitting in front of a large, silver stone with names inscribed in it in fancy script. The jinchuuriki stopped just behind a tree and watched the sorrowful scene.

"Okaa-san…Otou-san…I'm...I'm sorry. I was never able to live up to the Uchiha name. I was never able to become as good as Itachi, and I never will. I wanted to kill him to give our clan back its pride, and I wanted to marry the only girl I trust to restore our clan, but I'm not going to live long enough for that. I'll never avenge this clan. I always was useless and will continue to be that way, and now I'll just be a burden too. I'm sorry for not being good enough. I can't bring down Itachi with me, and I won't live long enough to bear any Uchiha children. I don't believe in heaven or hell, but...I'll join you in the nothingness."

Naruto was stunned as he listened to his best friend pour his heart out. Sasuke's defenses of hatred and anger were gone, only leaving sadness and grief inside of him.

_He's never said anything this deep or let any emotion besides anger and annoyance get through…Sasuke! Don't do this to yourself…_

"I thought that the oath to not die before I killed Itachi would save me, but I'm weak. Depending simply on words to save me…Pathetic. I've always been a failure…Who was I kidding? Thinking that Otou-san would ever say 'as expected of my child' to me...I can't do anything. I'm just baggage now." Sasuke sank to his knees and rested his head against the tombstone. Naruto could see him shaking, holding back tears. "I knew there was something wrong with me ever since I started tripping more often and lost my reflexes back over a year ago, and I thought I might have this disease. I should have just died. I'm just bringing more shame to the Uchiha clan now. First I couldn't save my family, my parents...then I couldn't avenge and restore the clan...I went as far as to use drugs to escape from my disease, and now one of the last of the two Uchiha is just a vegetable," he laughed bitterly. Naruto cringed at Sasuke's words full of self-inflicted poison.

_I think I understand him a bit more now. He's always been trying to outdo me just so he would feel like he's worth something, so he could kill Itachi! He doesn't get that none of this is his fault though...he doesn't need to feel this way...but he's as smart as ever if he figured out that he has spinocere - whatever so easily._

The autumn breeze flew crisply through the Uchiha grave, causing Naruto to shiver slightly. After a few minutes of wordlessness, the silence was broken.

"Either come out or go away, idiot. You're annoying just standing there," the remaining Uchiha breathed harshly, obviously trying hard to suppress tears.

Naruto eyes widened when he realized he had been caught. With a chuckle, he stepped out of the shadows and strode to Sasuke's side. "Just as perceptive as ever," he grinned sheepishly.

The cream colored boy lifted his head from the grave and looked to his left, away from Naruto, "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough I guess," the blond shrugged. If Sasuke had to ask that, then maybe he wasn't as perceptive as he used to be.

"Don't give me any crap about that you'll stay by my side or I'll get better. Your words mean nothing."

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Naruto frowned, his voice echoing through the field.

"They're meaningless."

"They're not! I mean everything I say!"

"Oh, what about your promises?" Sasuke snapped. "I thought that you considered promises to be a binding contract, something that you hold onto for life."

Naruto sat down on the wet grass angrily. "Can't you understand what I'm going through? How can I kill you, my teammate?"

"They way one can kill their own brother."

"But I didn't do anything to hurt you!" the blond whined impatiently.

"You're hurting me by breaking your promise!"

Naruto bit his lip. "I...I _will _kill you only if there isn't any hope for you left, but Sakura and Baa-chan are trying to help you right now. You'll get better, so why die now when you can live, get better, and then kill your brother?"

"You're foolish to have hope. I'm not _stupid, _Naruto," Sasuke hissed. "I researched illnesses I might have when I first noticed the symptoms over a year ago, and I knew I might have spinocerebellar ataxia. Naruto, it's a _genetic _disorder. This disease is written inside every damn cell in my body! I'm damaged goods no matter how you look at it, and trying to regenerate cells that don't replicate themselves is damn well impossible."

"Sakura and Baa-chan are really good. I'm sure they'll figure out something," Naruto cast his eyes downwards.

The two rested in front of the Uchiha grave for what could have been an eternity. The sky's tears continued to fall, only serving to make Naruto more depressed than he already was. Sasuke breathed in and out, the moving of his chest so hypnotizing to the jinchuuriki, the only thing that could take his mind off his troubles and lull him to sleep. Several hours later, the clouds parted and, the moon reflected its light beyond the horizon.

"Pathetic."

"Huh!? What!?" Naruto snapped his eyes open at the sound of the Uchiha's voice. Sasuke had switched positions and was now lying with his back against the stone. His entire body was soaked and shivering, but he still seemed so gorgeous.

Sasuke continued, "The moon. Everyone considers it to be beautiful as it shines, but it's not really shining. It's fake. It's only reflecting the light of the sun. It's not real."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto laughed cheerily. "I really don't get you sometimes."

"Hn. You're the one who doesn't get it."

"WHAT?!" Naruto yelled, "What do you mean, bastard?!"

"You don't understand, and you never will," The Uchiha snarled as he put a hand on the smooth gravestone. He managed to pull himself up shakily and began to stride back toward his house, but the way he was walking was strange. The blond stared. The way Sasuke walked now…It wasn't like limping. He wasn't struggling. It was like he was _waddling. _His legs were spaced out from each other, in line with his shoulders so his body like an upside down Y. Right before he lifted one foot, he placed all his weight on the foot he had just advanced, then took a small step forward and focused his weight onto the newly advanced foot. However, each foot only made minimal progress, and it gave off the illusion of Sasuke just shuffling from side to side, barely advancing forward. It was…scary.

_Sasuke…You really are…_

Sasuke's face was tinted pink with embarrassment, a color that never showed up on his smooth complexion. He could feel Naruto's eyes ogling at him, staring at his walking.

"What are you looking at?" the sickly teenager spat as he came to a halt.

Naruto blushed, "Nothing! Hey, do you wanna go and get ramen?"

"Don't change the subject. Plus, I hate ramen."

"Well, that's because you're a bastard!"

"And you're an idiot!" Sasuke hissed.

"Who are you calling an idiot!?" Naruto yelled.

"Shu-" Sasuke was suddenly cut off by an enormous grumbling sound coming from the inside of his hollow stomach.

Suddenly, the situation seemed to lighten up enormously. Everything became funny, sickly humorous. The blond found himself with tears in his eyes as he buckled over in laughter.

"That's so funny! I've never heard you hungry before, Sasuke!" Naruto stopped to wipe tears from his eyes. "Why don't we grab a bite at your place? Sakura told me to stay with you anyway."

"What time is it?" Sasuke looked away, his expression unreadable.

"Probably around midnight. We've been here a while!"

"And you thought Ichiraku might be open?" Sasuke scoffed as he continued to walk on awkwardly. "Anyway, in any case...Happy Birthday."

_Happy Birthday._

Those words echoed within the walls of Naruto's skull, bounding and rebounding. A sudden warmth crept up behind him unexpectedly and he felt a strange sense of peace.

_If it is midnight, today is October 10th. He remembered._

"Let's go back to your place!"

Naruto began to stroll forward slowly with Sasuke, reaching to the light at the end of their tunnel.

The next month passed without incident. Naruto lived in one of the several guest rooms to help Sasuke as much as he could. Sakura had taught him everything about how to care for him without belittling him. She taught him how to give him his medication, how to treat epilepsy if he were to have a seizure, the warning signs, and how to care for a disabled person. Sasuke didn't leave the Uchiha District once, although he did leave his house every once in a while to try to retain his walking. Sakura brought them meals to eat since both of them were lousy at cooking, and she had also brought over some of Naruto's things, including his five crates of ramen. Besides that, things didn't change between the two boys; Sasuke was still unresponsive as Naruto kept on trying to break through the glass walls surrounding him.

One chilly November night, Naruto woke up suddenly. A sense of foreboding washed through him as sweat dripped down his tanned face. Stealthily in his blue button-up pajamas, he exited his room and headed to one of the several rooms down the hall and around the corner; he had finally gotten used to how the Uchiha houses were set up. He crept down the disturbingly empty dark halls and slid the door to Sasuke's room open.

The room was dark, thick with black. The white walls seemed to be choked by the darkness, the bed with lavender sheets barely visible. Sasuke's dresser and scrolls were lost within the smothering black. Even Naruto felt as if he were being choked as he struggled to see through the darkness.

The Uchiha was nowhere in sight.

_Where the hell is he?_

Naruto slammed the door shut, rattling it. He dashed down the cool floors and eventually found himself in the living room, a plain space with a Japanese kotatsu table in the middle. It had a few shelves and paintings hanging here and there on the colorless walls. In the center of it all, Uchiha Sasuke was sitting directly in front of the table in pair of black shorts. He sat there completely shirtless, staring straight at Naruto. No, he was staring _beyond _him.

"Sa-Sasuke?" Naruto stuttered.

_What's wrong with him?_

The pale skinned Uchiha simply blinked in return.

Naruto paced back and forth throughout the room. Memories of a year ago sank into his head, causing the anxiety within him to increase, causing his heart to beat faster with worry.

_**"SASUKE!" Naruto screamed and ran to his fallen body. "Open your eyes! OPEN YOUR EYES, DAMMIT!"**_

_**His eyes opened, thick blood streaming down his head from the crash.**_

_**"Sasuke, are you okay? ANSWER ME!"**_

_**But his injured friend did not respond. He was staring out at what was in front of him, unmoving. He did not blink or move in any way. He just stared out as if he were daydreaming.**_

_Sakura-chan told me that if this happened that we would need to up his seizure medication. Apparently this is a type of seizure? I need to talk to her, but I can't leave Sasuke like this!_

"Hey, snap out of it!" Naruto yelled futilely. "You gotta wake up!"

Sasuke then suddenly came to. His eyelids fluttered rapidly and he focused his eyes. His obsidian pools looked at his surroundings, taking everything in with a single breath.

"What happened?" he asked groggily. He placed his head in his hands, "I don't remember a thing."

_She told me he might forget things too. I'm so lucky to have a girl like Sakura-chan helping me take care of him or I would have freaked out a while ago!_

"I don't really know myself," Naruto admitted, "I just woke up and found you here! Weird, huh?"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted when a strange look glinted in his eyes, and all signs of the real Sasuke were gone. Swiftly, Sasuke's body pulled a kunai out from under the table and pressed it to his chest, too quickly for Naruto to react. A bead of blood fell onto his shorts, staining them like a blossoming poppy.

"SASUKE!" the blond ran forward to his best friend and grabbed the kunai, tossing it somewhere behind him. "You can't do that!" He stared at the wound, only to find just a prick.

The Uchiha blinked again, "What did I just do?"

Naruto stared into his onyx orbs, "What do you mean? You just tried to kill yourself or some crap!"

Sasuke looked back, a slight look of surprise on his face, "Why the hell would I do that?"

The blond kept on staring; Sakura hadn't told him anything like this would happen.

"Your chest is bleeding! What proof do you need!?" the blond struggled to keep his emotions in check.

The Uchiha looked down and his eyes widened in shock at the sight of the minimal amount of blood. For once, his mask slipped. The walls around him crumbled. Bits of fear and confusion pieced themselves together in Sasuke's eyes, and utter terror ran him over like a truck. He stood from the table and clumsily began walking back to his room, trembling. Naruto trotted behind him slowly. Sasuke was obviously afraid, an emotion he never revealed before. Nevertheless, he hadn't shared it with him yet.

_I'm not letting him go back to sleep unless he opens up more! He needs to be human and let it out!_

Sasuke didn't question Naruto as he trailed behind him. He entered his dark, cold room and lay down in his unmade bed. He suddenly looked up at Naruto, "What are you doing here?"

Naruto felt icy this time as he flicked the light switch on. Sasuke was losing his memories one by one, piece by piece, memories he could never get back.

_Sasuke…what's happening to you?_

"I found you over there and then you tried to kill yourself. Then you came back here with me…" Naruto tried to explain.

"Naruto, I don't remember any of that," Sasuke stated weakly, hints of alarm creeping into his voice. He sat in that bed vulnerably, trembling harder than before.

Unexpectedly, the ivory skinned boy fell backwards into his bed. He jolted, electricity running through him like poison, and only the whites of his eyes were visible instead of the usual endless black. His limbs struck out at the hair as his head shook violently, crashing against his bed time and time again. His back vaulted upwards as a choked gurgle escaped from Sasuke's throat.

Naruto dashed forwards, "Crap, Sasuke!" He grabbed a pillow off the bed and tried to push it underneath Sasuke's head, but his pale hand whacked Naruto's bronze face with a sickening _crack. _The blond was thrown backwards into the wall, knocking a photograph off the dresser. Glass shattered throughout the room, and blood dripped onto the carpeted floor. Naruto rubbed his aching jaw and gazed at the sorry scene. Sasuke continued to thrash uncontrollably on the bed, foam leaking from his mouth.

As abruptly as it started, the Uchiha ceased to move.

"Sasuke!" Naruto stood up, racing forward. He gazed at Sasuke's torn and broken hand, which was bent at an odd angle. Carefully, he tried to move his body into a more comfortable position, placing his head softly on a white pillow. With the back of his hand, he wiped away the foam from Sasuke's lips, then ran out of the room and into the bathroom straight across. Flicking on the lights, he rummaged through the pristine cabinets and pulled out medical bandages, racing back to Sasuke's bedroom and taking his wrecked hand. The blond unwrapped the bandages and tried his best to cover them neatly and tightly over the hand, but they still looked messy and useless.

"Ugh…" obsidian eyes fluttered open.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, "How are you feeling!?"

"Be quiet," Sasuke breathed. "You're giving me a migraine."

"Sasuke, you had a seizure, bastard," the blond whispered with a toothy grin, "but you're fine now. I think you broke your hand from hitting my face, so we'll go see Sakura-chan tomorrow!"

"What else happened before that?"

"You don't remember," Naruto stated more than questioned. "You woke up and had the other type of seizure, then you tried to kill yourself, and then you had a seizure…"

"Naruto," Sasuke's voice wavered, "I don't even remember waking up."

"Sasuke…"

_If I can help him at all, I have to do something now._

Holding his breath, the blond genin stepped forward, taking one step at a time. Carefully, as if to avoid stepping on a land mine, he sat down beside the afraid teenager. He closed his eyes as he placed an arm around his best friend's unnaturally cold torso. Naruto could feel Sasuke's ribs sticking out against his own chest.

_I've hugged him before, but...this is different._

For once, Sasuke did not go rigid or pull away. His once perfectly chiseled chest, his once rock hard abdomen, they were both simply flat surfaces. Sasuke had lost his muscle strength from the coma and would never be able to get it back. He would never go on a mission again. All of this, Naruto thought about, and tears came to his eyes. Their hug meant both the beginning and the end. How he used to pull Sasuke into a hug when things were okay, when things were normal. Now they were hugging because the end was coming sooner than it should have.

_I have to believe that things are gonna be okay! I have to be strong for the both of us…_

"Naruto," Sasuke paused hesitantly, "I'm…"

"What?" the blond asked innocently.

The raven haired whimpered unnaturally, "I'm...I can't..."

"Just tell me," Naruto smiled. "I won't laugh at you."

"I'm scared."

The walls separating them fell as Naruto broke the surface, feeling the freezing water beneath the ice. It was frightening, too human for words.

Naruto shut his cerulean eyes closed. "It's okay to be scared once in a while. Crying doesn't make you weak. It's good to cry every once in a while, you know? It might make you feel better."

_Am I saying the right things? I don't know what to do now that I've gotten through to him._

Sasuke didn't reply. He simply touched Naruto's wrists as if to convey the wish for Naruto to let go oh him. With a smile, the blond obliged; it was time for Sasuke to rest. The Uchiha then closed his eyes as his breathing evened out.

_He looks angelic, even in pain. His pain runs deeper than anything I can imagine. Why is it always you, Sasuke?_

Naruto inhaled deeply as he let his body fall into place beside Sasuke's. In the darkness he searched for the thin, unbandaged hand that belonged to the other boy and grabbed it softly. With a sense of tranquility, he shut his eyes closed and fell into a deep sleep.

He could have sworn that he could feel Sasuke squeeze his hand in return.

A/N: Note, a kotatsu is that small Japanese table. Anyway, this chapter made me sad. A bit of NaruSasuness for you! I love OOC Sasuke, his true side. I was going to make this chapter longer, but I thought it might be best to end it here. I wanted an intimate moment that is a bit of a breaking point to happen rather than to end it where I was going to…You'll see that next chapter: Uncontrollable.


	8. Damaged

A/N: Ahaha, I made some really perverted typos when I originally wrote this. This chapter has some sexual humor in it to make fun of Sakura's yaoi fangirl side (plus her maturing side), but some of the typos just made everything seem _too _dirty. Quite interesting to write XD.

Note that SPC is the commonly used abbreviation for spinocerebellar ataxia.

Edited August 25, 2012.

DISCLAIMER: I so own Naruto. Because I do, Choji is anorexic. Right. Like that will ever happen since I honestly _don't _own Naruto.

'_**Till Death Do Us Part **__**– Damaged**_

Light streaming in from the large windows caused a certain blond in bed to stir. Azure eyes opened to a while ceiling and the soft sound of even breathing beside him. Uzumaki Naruto sat up quietly and gazeded to his left. Uchiha Sasuke lay there sleeping, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned into his own body like he was trying to protect himself. The gaps in the bandages on his right hand showed violet and navy skin, skin bruised beyond Naruto's expectations. The jinchuuriki glanced outside briefly; it couldn't have been later than nine in the morning.

"Sa- ugh!" Naruto clamped his mouth shut at the sensation of intense throbbing in his jaw. Memories of the night before came flooding back to his cloudy mind. Grimacing, he slid silently off of Sasuke's bed and took a quick look at the raven-haired teenager again. He lay there peacefully.

_I thought he was more of an early riser than me, but I guess last night really tired him out. He's been sleeping a lot lately too…_

Satisfied, Naruto fled from the Uchiha complex and onto the morning streets. He headed to the hospital in a rush, the light shining in his cerulean eyes.

_Dammit, my jaw hurts! I need to go see Sakura-chan about Sasuke and what happened last night. Maybe she can fix me too!_

Once inside the white building, Naruto dashed through the hallways with only his goal on his mind. Unable to call for Sakura without feeling immense pain in his jaw, he slammed open every door around him to no avail.

_Where the hell is Sakura?_

Panting, he was about to grab the knob of the last door on the top floor when he heard voices coming from within. They were muffled, but audible voices of two females.

"Please, Tsunade-sama! If we could get a team, even if only a three-man team, we could possibly find something that could help him!"

"To find a working cure will take years, more years than the Uchiha has! I'm more than willing to help you, but I just want you to know that the possibility of saving him with the amount of information we have now is low. There isn't enough research and progress to find something effective so soon!"

"Maybe if we work really hard there'll be something we can do…"

"At this point, even with chakra, it is nearly impossible to restore brain cells, especially the ones in the cerebellum. We may be able to find something to stop the degradation, but he certainly won't be satisfied with the current life he has, and he won't ever be able to be a shinobi again. Do you want to do this to him? He's going to suffer."

"But…I…I can't live without Sasuke-kun! I love him more than anything! I care for him, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and…I don't know what to do! Maybe he'll finally learn that revenge isn't everything and choose to live, maybe defy the odds and..."

"I know what it's like to lose someone, to want to save them and not believe that it's over! That's why I'm going to assign you to researching SPC with Shizune and another med-nin. I'll help when I have the time. The fight's not over, but we're losing. Do you understand me, Sakura?"

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama! We'll definitely find a cure or better medication to treat it!"

…_The hell? Sakura-chan said that there was a good chance they'd find something, but Baa-chan just said…_

Suddenly, Naruto felt himself get smacked in the face by something heavy, sending waves of pain radiating through his jaw on top of the agony in the rest of his face. He crashed to the floor, clutching his face in utter torture.

"Oh God, Naruto!? Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" The small body of a teenage girl flung herself beside the blond, shaking him.

He murmured, "It hurts…Sakura-chan. But I'm fine!" He lifted his hands to reveal a bloody nose and a bruised visage. As he gazed at Sakura, he noted that her cheeks were flushed and stained with tears.

"Here," Sakura smiled brightly, and she placed glowing jade hands over Naruto's features. The blood from Naruto's nose ceased to flow, and his jaw abruptly stopped aching as she removed her hands. "That should do it. I didn't think I had pushed the door hard enough to hurt your jaw like that though…"

"Oh, that?" Naruto grinned sheepishly, "Sasuke hurt it yesterday. He had a seizure and whacked me in the face. Anyway, that's what I wanted to talk to you about!"

Sorrow washed over Sakura's face as she held out her hand to Naruto. "Here, Naruto. Let's go talk about this in another room."

The blond grasped the med-nin's hand and let her lead him down the hall. Naruto grimaced unpleasantly, "Hey, Sakura-chan. I heard what you were talking about with Baa-chan. I thought you said you could get a cure for Sasuke, but she said that we barely have a chance! How does that work?"

"I'll tell you in here," Sakura pulled a door open gently to reveal somewhat of an office. The space was rather small and cramped. Stacks of papers lay on top of the polished surface of a wooden table, and two chairs were placed on opposite sides of it. A large window sat on the right, revealing a cloudless sky.

"Sit, Naruto," Sakura stated with a lackluster expression as she released the genin's hand. She took a seat behind the desk and motioned for Naruto to do the same in the other chair.

The blond threw himself into the chair and leaned forward, staring into Sakura's face. "I woke up last night and I went to check up on Sasuke, but he wasn't there, so then I went and looked for him and found him in another room, but he was kinda like staring at me, so then he snapped out of it and told me he didn't remember anything, and then he tried to kill himself, but then he didn't remember anything after I took the kunai away from him, and-"

Naruto paused to inhale deeply when Sakura stopped him. "Naruto, tell me slowly! I won't be able to absorb it properly if you do it so rushed."

The blond nodded, "Okay. So last night, I woke up and decided to check on Sasuke. He wasn't in his room so I went looking for him. I found him in another room, and I think he was having a seizure. You know the type where you don't move? Yeah, that."

"How long did it last?" Sakura asked, a pen now in her hand.

"Um," Naruto put a finger to his chin as he tried to think, "I wasn't there for the whole thing, but he was kinda like that for about fifteen-seconds or something."

The kunoichi scribbled onto the paper, "Okay, continue."

"Okay, so then I yelled at him a lot and he snapped out of it. He told me he didn't remember anything. Then, he got this weird look in his eye and he took out a kunai. He wasn't himself, you know? He put it to his chest - oh yeah, he wasn't wearing a shirt - and he nicked at his skin. I took it out of his hands, but then he looked at me and asked me what happened. He didn't remember anything! I think he got freaked out when I told him what happened, so then he went to his bedroom. I went with him, but then he asked me what I was doing there. I think he got even more freaked out when I told him everything and that he had already forgotten stuff just earlier! Then he had the seizure where he kicks around a lot, and that's when he whacked me in the face! Accidentally, obviously. I think it broke his hand though. Can you come over and check it out?"

Sakura's eyes widened, "That sounds really bad, Naruto. I think I am going to change his medication rather than increase it. Upping might be dangerous at this point. We can go over right now to see Sasuke-kun, but did you want to finish telling me everything first? I think I should start giving him heart medication too…"

Naruto took a deep breath, "I tried to wrap his hand, but I did it really badly. He made me happy after that because he opened up to. He actually told me he was scared, you know? I would be too. We both fell asleep after that. He seemed fine this morning, except his hand was all purple."

The med-nin winked mysteriously, "Anything interesting happen? He did reveal his emotions to you after all…I don't know, maybe you got caught up in a moment of passion?"

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked dumbly.

"Never mind," Sakura smiled as she bent down and rapidly began to open some desk drawers, hiding her head from Naruto's view. "So, we'll go over to the Uchiha complex now. I'm just going to grab some medication and-"

"But what about what you and Baa-chan were talking about?" Naruto interjected.

Sakura paused. She sat back up, covering her nose with a bloody tissue.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked worriedly, not quite understanding.

"Oh, just a nosebleed!" Sakura waved it off, embarrassed. "It's nothing really!" She crumpled the tissue up and threw it into a trash can. The pink-haired teenager looked straight into Naruto's eyes. "Promise me that no matter what I say, you'll keep on hoping and praying for Sasuke-kun."

"Of course I will!" Naruto grinned as he scratched the back of his head. "Because he is gonna live, I don't even have to do that. I'll do it if it'll make him even better though!"

"Naruto…" Sakura trailed off, "I've been researching for a cure or medication since he was in a coma. I haven't been alone the whole time, but the research hasn't actually been formal. There hasn't been an official team working on it. Because of that, I haven't found too much. I managed to get Tsunade-sama to let me get a team to work on it, so progress will be better. I just don't know how long Sasuke-kun will be willing to pull through. What he's going through is tough, but he hasn't said anything about wanting to die, has he? He had suicidal actions last night, but I doubt he fully meant them because you said he wasn't himself. If he doesn't want to live, then I don't know if…if I'll make it in time for him."

"That doesn't sound so bad though!' Naruto exclaimed. "I managed to break through to him. I can get him to hold on for a while, so don't worry! Now that you have a team and more people to work with, I'm sure you'll find something in no time! Why are you even worrying, Sakura-chan?"

"Naruto!" Sakura stood up firmly. "Don't you get it? What Sasuke-kun said to you wasn't even half of what he was feeling! You know how he feels with you both not having a family! Why don't you compare how he feels to the way you used to? I know that you consider us your family, but he…I don't think he does. And now he's in even worse pain because all he's ever lived for is meaningless now! If things get bad, he won't ever be able to have children. The Uchiha clan will…die."

The blond froze.

_I…I've always known that Sasuke and I are the same. Why didn't I ever stop to think about how I used to feel? We both went through rejection and loneliness, even if different types. Sasuke's been alone longer than I have ever been if he feels that he can't count on Sakura and I, and now he's sick. I can't understand him, but I know how he feels. It hurts. It hurts like nothing else possibly can. It's a sick aching in your chest that doesn't go away…_

_How could I be so stupid?_

"I'm so stupid!" the blond shut his eyes as he gritted his teeth. "When everyone hated me, and when I was alone, it was the worst feeling in the world. To have nobody to look to, nobody to count on, to have nobody that even likes you, smiles at you, or acknowledges you…It's painful. To have nobody that understands you can make you feel even more alone."

"Maybe we should go over there now," Sakura glanced at the clock in front of her. "It's already nine thirty. Sasuke-kun usually gets up early, but he must be tired from his seizure. He's probably getting up now."

Naruto grinned sneakily, "How do you know what time he gets up at?"

"From the days when I was more obsessed with him than healthy…" Sakura openly admitted. "Of course I still love Sasuke-kun, but I've turned it down a notch. He needs his space, especially at a time like this, and I know that he'll never feel the same way as me. Of course, that doesn't mean he should be alone. He needs us!"

The blond smiled as he bolted out the door. "Let's go!"

_Thank you, Sakura-chan, for not changing just because you know how I feel about him._

The med-nin grabbed a few bottles off her desk before joining her friend. They strolled through the morning streets casually as they headed towards the Uchiha's house.

"Do you remember how to do CPR?" Sakura asked suddenly.

"Mmm," Naruto began to think, "Yeah. You do that thirty and two count, right? Thirty heart compressions and two breaths…"

Sakura nodded, "Right!"

"Why do you ask anyway?"

"Oh, just wondering," Sakura brought her hands together. "You never know when you'll need to use it. Oh, and have you been giving Sasuke his medication faithfully?"

"Yeah!" Naruto beamed, "Two pills from the green bottle and one from the blue one in the morning."

"That's good," Sakura nodded again. "He really needs to take his medication. I'll be giving you new instructions today because I'm giving him new medication. The seizure medication seems to not be working well as it used to."

"I can handle that," Naruto stretched lazily.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"…How do you pay your bills? You barely did any missions for a year. You defied the Hokage when she wanted to give you any! How do you even live?"

"I did a ton of missions before and saved my money," the blond shrugged. "Iruka-sensei stops by with Ichiraku ramen sometimes, so I almost never have to pay for dinner. Apparently the Third Hokage paid my apartment off for me when I was a kid. I'm not even living there right now. Now baa-chan says that this is my mission if I'm not gonna go on other ones, so we get money monthly!"

"I see," Sakura pondered a bit more. "Hey, Naruto, what do you and Sasuke do when I'm not around?"

The blond grinned as he continued to stroll down the street. "I try to talk to him, but he never really says anything. He's been sleeping a lot too…It makes me wonder if he's just tired or if there's something really good about sleeping. It makes me want to sleep too. We slept together last night, and I guess it felt good, but that's because the bed was warm with two people. I don't know how good it is alone for him to sleep so much. I might see if he'll let me sleep with him every night so he doesn't have to be lonely anymore."

"Oh," the teenage girl's face suddenly turned bright red. Scarlet liquid began to slide out of her nostrils.

"…Are you thinking about perverted things, Sakura-chan?"

"NEVER!" Sakura grabbed a tissue out of her pocket as she laughed nervously. "Sasuke-kun would NEVER do something like that. Of course not…"

Naruto eyed her sneakily, "Sakura-chan, I never knew you thought about dirty things like that."

"We're here!" Sakura announced, trying to divert Naruto's attention. The Uchiha district loomed in front of them almost menacingly.

The duo dashed forward into the first building, down a few plainly decorated hallways, and then into Sasuke's bedroom. The Uchiha continued to lie asleep on his bed like earlier, but something had changed. His breathing was raspy and labored, and his chest heaved up and down as sweat trickled down his pale forehead. His arms were still crossed over his upper body, his left hand clutching his right shoulder. Sasuke's legs were brought up to his chest as his eyebrows were furrowed in pain. His white and broken hand hung loosely off his left shoulder.

"Was he like this when you left?" Sakura whispered to the blond beside her.

Naruto crossed his arms, "No way I'd leave him like this while just talking to you! I would have told you right away!"

Sakura walked forward and sat on the bed beside Sasuke. Her hands crossed over each other like an X, and she placed them on the Uchiha's naked chest, allowing them to glow a soft malachite color. Sasuke's face began to relax and show an expression of peace, and his breathing slowed, easing and returning to normal.

"He'll have to take heart medication to make sure that his heart is always in good condition," the kunoichi murmured.

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto trailed off. "Why is Sasuke so sick?"

The chuunin sighed, "As perfect as the outside seems, his insides are defected, Naruto. His heart condition isn't good because of a defect in one of the valves. People who have one defect often have other ones too. His other defect happened to be one in his genes. One of his parents may have had it in their genes, or maybe he had a mutation. This defect is what caused his SPC. He was prone to seizures already, but it was the hit in the head that really brought it on. His body was probably really weak as a baby, or maybe his mom wasn't as careful as she should have been during her pregnancy. He probably had several deficiencies as a child, or maybe he has other problems we don't know about…"

"That's not fair!" Naruto's fists began to shake. "Why is it always Sasuke?"

"Shut up, idiot…Your voice is annoying."

Naruto stared at the Uchiha. His eyelids fluttered as consciousness returned to him, and he surveyed the area around him. When his endless black orbs came into contact with sea foam ones, something seemed to change in them, something unidentifiable. He gazed at her openly, letting his guard down. Naruto cast his eyes downward.

_Sasuke, you really like Sakura, don't you? You have a right to…I used to like her too. It's not right for me to love you the way I do, but I can't help it. Just...don't look at her like that in front of me, will you?_

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura beamed.

"Hn," Sasuke turned away.

"Sasuke-kun, do you want breakfast? I can cook better than you and Naruto after all!"

"Hn."

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura put her hands on her hips. "You need a better vocabulary than 'hn'."

"What the hell does it mat-" Sasuke's voice stopped abruptly.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's voice echoed through the room as he ran forward to his friend.

Sasuke's mouth had shut closed, and his eyes were now staring beyond anything in front of him. His body lay still except for the occasional blink.

"Sasuke-kun…?" Sakura asked. When she received no response, she grabbed Sasuke's good hand. "Sasuke-kun, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand."

There was still no answer.

"Is it bad?" Naruto paced through the room.

_I wish I could do something! I can never do anything to help him!_

"There's no response, so we just have to see how long it lasts," Sakura confessed. "Can you go get me some more bandages from the bathroom?"

Naruto nodded and ran out of the room, making his way to the bathroom. He grabbed more of the bandages he had left messily on the counter the night before and ran back to Sasuke's bedroom. When he got back, the Uchiha was still blinking dazedly.

Sakura sighed, "This isn't good. This type should only last twenty-seconds at the most. If he doesn't snap out of it in another minute, I want to take him to the hospital. It's deep since he has no response levels at all."

"S-Sakura?"

Naruto stared at Sasuke, whose eyes were now blinking rapidly as he came to. Stuttering did not define him at all. Sasuke was cool, calculated, precise.

_Perfect…_

_Why is it always you?_

"Good to see you again, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura grinned. She took his right hand and placed her glowing hands over top of it.

"Hn," he simply grunted, but he was staring at the hand Sakura was holding.

_Is he staring because she's healing it or because she's holding it?_

_Sasuke…You could never love someone like me anyway. I can't give up though! But maybe it's best if you never know how I feel._

Sakura removed her hands. "All better! I'll just wrap your hand to prevent more damage. Naruto?" The female smiled and motioned for Naruto to pass her the bandages. He obliged and tossed her the roll. She wrapped his hand professionally as Sasuke scowled.

"I can bandage my own hand," he muttered.

"But I can do it better than you because I'm trained," Sakura replied gently.

"Hn."

"Want anything in particular for breakfast?" Sakura looked between the two boys.

The blond perked up, "RAMEN!"

"You, Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"Hn."

The pink haired teenager stood up from the bed as she brushed past Naruto. "I guess you're getting rice balls." She left the room to go to the building across to make breakfast.

Naruto beamed his toothy grin. "Let's go eat breakfast! Sakura was really nice to come here, wasn't she? We should go!"

"It was her choice whether or not to come," Sasuke replied coolly.

The jumpsuit clad genin rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Sasuke. Just get up already."

Sasuke slowly slid the covers off of his body and sluggishly pulled open a set of drawers beside him, pulling out a navy T-shirt. He managed to slide it onto his wiry body after a minute and set his feet on the floor carefully. Naruto caught him inhaling deeply with a look of irritation on his godly face.

_Damn, is he bothered by how it takes him longer to do stuff? How he can't really walk well? I get why it bothers him, but..._

"Ready to go?" Naruto stepped forward and offered a hand. The sick teenager brushed his hand away and shakily stood.

"Go on ahead," he stared daggers into Naruto. "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Are you sure?" Naruto inquired, compassion already settling into his eyes. When the Uchiha didn't reply, he waved and left the room.

_He's embarrassed. He shouldn't be! I don't want him to feel so alone anymore…I want him to be able to hold onto me, unembarrassed by his disease. I guess it's really tough though._

Naruto strode through the empty Uchiha streets and crossed over to the other building. He continued on until he found himself in the kitchen where Sakura stood in a white apron stirring some ramen on the stove. Three rice balls with fish flakes were already on the kotatsu table beside three bottles of medication and a glass of water.

"Trust a fangirl to know Sasuke's favorite foods," Naruto snickered as he sat at the kotatsu table.

"And you know that he likes rice balls with fish flakes…how?" Sakura retorted mischievously.

"I live with the guy. I figured it out!" Naruto flushed scarlet.

The kunoichi sat two bowls of ramen at the table and sat at the opposite end from Naruto. "Don't you even think about starting to eat just yet," Sakura glared menacingly. "We're going to wait for Sasuke-kun. Where is he anyway?"

Naruto's eyes widened as he glanced down at the chopsticks already in his hand. He hung his head as he put the chopsticks down. "Sorry, Sakura-chan. Oh, and he went to the bathroom."

"Hey, so anyway, when are you going to print the pictures we took at the hospital last month? I want to frame them and put them in my room! I mean...they're really important."

Naruto's eyes widened and a light bulb seemed to flash on in his head. A huge grin took over his face.

_I have the perfect idea._

"You'll get them when you get them," the blond smiled cheekily.

Sakura sighed, "Do I even want to know?"

"It's a surprise!"

A long time, too long a time, passed. The genin stared into his bowl of ramen, which had long since turned cold. Sakura sighed and tapped her lean fingers against the table surface. "What's taking him so long? I get that he is a lot slower than most people, but this is just too long. Maybe he's sick…"

_He shouldn't be taking this long! I'm getting worried…_

"I'm going to go check up on him!" Naruto got up from the floor and burst out the door. He dashed through the path and exploded into the other building, hustling through the halls.

"SASUKE!"

The whole building was completely dark. Naruto swore under his breath and raced through the endless twists and turns. He finally saw a light glowing at the end of the path.

_Why the hell didn't I think of checking the bathroom first even though he said he'd be there? I'm so stupid…_

The blond slammed the door open to the Uchiha bathroom.

Uchiha Sasuke lay on the bathroom floor tiles, franticly trying to stand up. His hands were grabbing at the toilet seat, but kept on slipping off every time he tried to pull himself up. Red liquid was running down his skull as he fought to get up. His head turned to meet Naruto's face at the sound of the door crashing open.

"SASUKE!" Naruto dropped to his knees beside his best friend. "Are you okay?"

"I just tripped," Sasuke scowled. "I can get up myself."

"You've been gone for half an hour trying to 'stand up'! Why don't you just let me help you!?" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke hissed, "I don't need your pity!"

"Is that so?" Naruto snickered. Another idea passed through his brain as he grinned.

_Another ingenious idea from Uzumaki Naruto! He's not even gonna see this one coming._

The blond placed his arms underneath Sasuke's arms and legs and quickly sprang up. He carried him gleefully out of the bathroom bridal style, snickering the whole time.

"What the hell are you doing, dumbass!?" Sasuke shouted as he tried to wriggle out of Naruto's hold. His face was on the verge of glowing crimson, but only a vague pink tinted it. "Put me down already!"

But it was futile; Naruto's grip was too strong, and Sasuke's strength and ability to move weren't what they used to be. The Uchiha weakly punched at Naruto's arms in the useless attempt to free himself.

"I'm carrying you so we can eat breakfast. I'm hungry," Naruto grumbled, but inside he was smiling.

_His body is so warm and soft…It's like it's fitted to mine perfectly._

Sasuke eventually gave up, and scowled miserably instead. He laid his head against Naruto's chest, letting Naruto carry him to the other building.

_Now's my chance_. _We're alone and I might never get to tell him this again without choking._

Naruto gulped nervously as he struggled to free the words from his throat.

"I don't care if you're sick. I'm staying with you forever."

Sasuke eyed him apathetically, "And how long is forever to you, Naruto?"

"Even when the world stops turning and ends," Naruto nodded to himself. "I want to be with you forever. I'd chase you to the ends of the earth if you ever left me."

"So the day I die, are you going to kill yourself so you can be with me?" the raven haired teenager questioned. "I'm going to die a lot sooner than the rest of you."

"I…" Naruto trailed off.

"Why don't you just chase after your own goals and leave me behind then? You have something to live for, Naruto. My goals have been taken away from me, and I'll just die."

_You don't realize that you ARE my goal, Sasuke. Being hokage means nothing compared to you._

"Because you're more important to me," Naruto swallowed.

"Is that so?" Sasuke muttered.

"Sasuke-kun?!" a girl's voice screamed. Sakura ran to the two at the sight of Sasuke in Naruto's arms, blood trickling from his head. "Is he okay? What happened?"

"He tripped and couldn't get up," Naruto bit his lip at the sight of Sasuke's sheer humiliation. Sasuke turned his face away from Sakura and writhed in embarrassment.

"We could always give you a wheelchair…" Sakura looked up, wondering what to do.

"No," Sasuke refused. He didn't realize it, but he was clutching Naruto's shirt almost desperately.

"Is that blood running down your head, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura pointed to the blood staining Naruto's jumpsuit. She hurriedly placed her already glowing hands over Sasuke's skull and healed the wound. "Now, let's go have breakfast," she smiled, but sadness reflected in her sea foam orbs.

"Sakura?!" Naruto eyes opened wide with urgency.

"Hm?"

Sasuke's body had gone rigid, and his eyes had shut close. His muscles had tensed up as he lay in tanned arms almost lifelessly.

"Put him on the ground and back away," Sakura instructed. Naruto listened and laid Sasuke's body on the ground just in time. The Uchiha's thin back arched as his limbs began to jerk wildly. His eyelids opened just enough to allow Naruto to see the whites of his eyes as he seized. He cried out as blood began to trail out of the corners of his mouth, his lean body shaking violently as his face began to drain of all color.

Naruto stood there and stared.

_I can never do anything good enough for him. Sakura's trying to get him a cure, but what am I doing? I'm being a nuisance to him as I just live with him. I can't do anything for him._

After a few minutes, Sasuke's body ceased to move. Sakura crouched down and turned his face to the side, draining his mouth of blood.

"Let's take him to the kitchen so he can take his medication when he wakes up," Sakura whispered. Naruto picked up the unconscious body and forced himself into the kitchen, his appetite all but gone. He laid Sasuke gently by the side of the kotatsu table closest to the rice balls. He then took his own seat across from Sakura.

"Ugh," Sasuke groaned as he lazily opened his eyes.

Sakura held out her palm to Sasuke. Three white pills, two navy ones, and half a red one lay there. "Take them, Sasuke-kun! You'll need to swallow these once everyday. I know that they're a lot of pills, but they'll help you live better!"

"They won't heal me though," Sasuke glared as he swiped the pills and popped them into his mouth anyway. He snatched the glass of water and poured some into his mouth, swallowing them. Finished, he tried to grab a rice ball, but he missed and ended up dipping his hand into Naruto's ramen.

"That's okay," Naruto reassured his best friend, only to receive a glare.

And then he snapped.

Sasuke suddenly sat up angrily. He began to make hand seals for ninjutsu rapidly and then clutched his left wrist with his hand.

"CHIDORI!"

The sounds of one thousand crying birds filled the room, but their screams were choked. Electricity fizzled and died in Sasuke's hand as soon as it was born, but then burst into a power too big for his hand to handle.

"What the hell are you doing, bastard?!" Naruto yelled.

"You shouldn't do that, Sasuke-kun! It could be detrimental to your health!" Sakura shouted over the shrieking birds.

Naruto's eyes widened. Sasuke's chakra was fluctuating from a monstrous amount to a point low enough that he could die. Electricity poured out of his pale hands, enveloping him. Black demonic marks began to move across his white face, stark against his skin, as the shrieks of the birds exploded to the point of deafness. Naruto covered his ears as the room kept on being filled with blue light and then nothingness in a cycle.

"STOP IT! YOU CAN'T CONTROL YOUR CHAKRA!" Sakura screamed, tears pouring from her eyes. She grabbed Sasuke from behind and pulled him into a hug, desperate.

The cries of the birds died down for eternity as the electricity fizzled out. The marks retracted from Sasuke's skin into his shoulder, and the blond uncovered his ears and stared at the sight of Sakura crying while hugging Sasuke.

"We just keep going through this over and over again, don't we?" Sakura sniffed as she buried her head into Sasuke's shirt.

"Hn."

"What's with the marks?" Naruto asked. Sakura pulled away from the pale skinned teenager to stare at Naruto. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and glanced at Sakura with eyes that just said I-didn't-want-him-to-know-about-this. Sakura looked back with a face that screamed I'm-not-the-one-who-made-the-curse-appear-so-you-tell-him.

"It's the curse seal," Sasuke muttered. "Orochimaru gave it to me."

"_Gave it to you? _Why did you ever tell me about this before, you bastard!?" Naruto growled. "What's it doing to you!?"

"It gives me power," Sasuke stated simply without bothering to explain that he couldn't control it.

"Then why did it spread across your body?"

When Sasuke only turned away from Naruto, Sakura grinned anxiously. "Well, Sasuke-kun, Naruto, you guys should eat your breakfast now! It's cold already…"

"Sasuke, just talk to me," Naruto said, ignoring the chuunin. "Sakura-chan and I will listen."

"You're just itching to say that you really are stronger than me now, aren't you?" he snarled. The look in Sasuke's eyes was insane, frightened, but filled with mostly rage. His hands shook with emotion as he stared defiantly at his rival.

"Woah, Sasuke," Naruto backed away. "Calm down. It's not even like that anymore!"

"Exactly!" Sasuke tried to yell, but his voice couldn't handle loud sounds anymore, throwing him into a series of coughs. "It's not like that because you damn pity me! None of this is the way it used to be because you people feel sorry for me! I might as well be dead!"

"It's not like that! I –"

"Save it!" the Uchiha exploded, hissing through his coughs. "If you want to do something for me, then kill me!"

"Stop being so selfish!" Sakura shouted. "We're in pain watching you suffer like this, so don't you dare say we're not hurting! We don't even feel sorry for you! We're just looking out for you, trying to save you, and –"

"I don't even want to be saved!" Sasuke growled. "All I ever wanted to do was kill _him, _but nothing you can do will even save me in time, so stop trying! If I'm going to die anyway, let me die the way I want to!"

"What about Naruto!?" Sakura cried. "You're making him kill his best friend!"

"Ninjas are supposed to be used to death, used to the death of a comrade. Why don't you put your comrade out of his misery?" he hissed.

"SASUKE!" Naruto yelled. "You'd rather die fighting in battle than against an illness, right? But battle and illness are the same thing! If you trust your body, then why won't you trust it to fight? Sakura-chan, she's working on a cure for you! Why don't you just see if you can live and kill _him_? You're not dead. You're living, so act like it!"

Sasuke replied furiously, "Why else do you think I haven't killed myself yet? You...you just don't understand what it's like to lose everything!"

"But I…" Naruto trailed off.

_Sasuke…You are my everything, and I'm losing you. You're just pushing me away and leaving me behind. I can't tell you that though! I'll lose you for good if I do because you don't love me._

"Naruto…Sasuke-kun…" Sakura whispered, "Kakashi-sensei hasn't been around. Do you know why? Because although Tsunade-sama is the best med-nin in the world, there are other great ones with information Konoha doesn't have. Tsunade-sama has been requesting conferences, and Kakashi-sensei has even been out for a while on missions to gather some info, all for you, Sasuke-kun!"

"Sasuke, just try harder! We're all doing our best for you!" Fire burned past Naruto's sky-blue eyes. He grabbed Sasuke's frail thin hand and gripped it tightly. "Just…believe in me."

Something flashed in Sasuke's endless black pools. He shut his eyes closed and let his head fall back. He didn't say anything, but something changed in him. His eyes slowly opened again, and they were as clear as could be. All the anger was gone, only to be replaced with emptiness.

Sakura asked warily, "Sasuke-kun?"

No sound escaped from his lips. He just stared beyond both Sakura and Naruto, deep in thought. The only movement he made was when he squeezed Naruto's hand in return.

A/N: Please review! I've been lacking in inspiration lately and reviews might perk me up, otherwise no chapter for a few months possibly. And yes, Iruka brings over ramen from Ichiraku because Naruto won't leave Sasuke. I've neglected Kakashi…I completely forgot to put him in the story when I first planned I out. Anyway, until next chapter: Forgotten.


	9. Forgotten

A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! By the way, the story is over halfway done of as this chapter. It's going to be around 17 or 18 chapters estimated.

And for those of you who don't know, Sasuke's past time is playing the flute, or at least it is based on pictures Kishi has released.

Edited August 25, 2012.

DISCLAIMER: I discussed owning the rights to Naruto with Masashi Kishimoto the other day, and he said no. For eternity.

'_**Till Death Do Us Part – Forgotten**_

Time passed like a blur. Before any of them knew it, colorless flakes were already falling gently to the ground before their eyes. Christmas was coming, and Naruto was absolutely thrilled about it. On the other hand, Sasuke was far less than pleased.

"Yo, Sasuke!" Naruto charged into the Uchiha living room to find Sasuke sitting on the couch. A book lay in his ivory hands as his eyes absorbed the words. "You ditched me this morning! I woke up, and you weren't in bed! I always wake up before you! Don't just leave me like that!"

"Hn. I only let you continue to sleep with me because I know you'll keep me up at night complaining if I don't, you dead-last," Sasuke muttered as he eyes travelled back and forth across the pages.

"What'cha reading?" Naruto plopped beside the Uchiha on the couch.

"Nietzsche," Sasuke replied monotonously in his tight, black turtleneck. "Although I doubt someone as stupid as you even knows who that is."

Naruto frowned. Even though Sasuke had just insulted him like he always had before, the insult lacked all the fire, all the spirit, all the **life** it used to have.

_His voice is so…empty._

"Come on!" the blond grinned. "It's Christmas tomorrow! Isn't Christmas fun? Come to think of it, Team 7 has never spent a Christmas together…We should meet up with Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei!"

"I don't believe in Christmas," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I've never had a reason to celebrate it."

"Don't be so grumpy!" Naruto grinned. "You do have reason to celebrate it! You've got me, remember? Sakura-chan too, and Kakashi's gonna be here tomorrow, so there are no excuses!"

"I'm getting breakfast," the raven haired shut his book to a close and sluggishly placed it on the small table to his side. He grabbed the edge of the wall and tried to pull himself up, a sheer looks of exasperation painted on his features. A wave of sorrow crashed onto the shore of Naruto's mind as he watched his best friend attempt to just stand up.

_You would think that someone so powerful like Sasuke could never die, and if he did, it would be in battle. To think that he got sick and could end up unable to move just isn't right! I won't even think about it! I believe in Sakura-chan, and I know she can heal him!_

Naruto quickly forced a smile as he stuck out a tanned hand to his best friend. "Here. We'll go make breakfast together, but of course I'll make it better than you since I totally own you! You'll just have to bow to my feet in defeat when you taste my gourmet food compared to your lousy stuff!"

The Uchiha scowled. "You can't make anything but ramen, you failure. I can cook better than you any day, and I can get myself to the kitchen by myself."

"Just take my hand already!" Naruto yelled as he grabbed Sasuke's hand and forced him to his feet. "Learn to ask for help for once!"

"I don't need your help," Sasuke spat as he stumbled over his own feet in an attempt to walk forward.

"It doesn't really matter if you do or not! I'm starving, so let's go already!" Naruto marched ahead of Sasuke towards the kitchen.

Sasuke clenched his fists in anger as he leaned against the wall. He shuffled forward as he put his weight on the wall for safety.

Naruto paused as he snickered. "Want me to carry you again?"

"If you want me to kick your ass," Sasuke retorted, his eyes narrowed in a fierce glare.

The blond chuckled to himself. _That doesn't sound so bad. I want you back to the way you used to be!_

"Whatever," the blond shrugged, but his lips were curved into a smile. He hooked one arm underneath Sasuke's knees and supported Sasuke's back with his other arm, lifting him up swiftly.

"Can't kick my ass in that position," Naruto giggled as he exited the formal Japanese room and headed into the kitchen.

"Put me down, Naruto," Sasuke hissed.

"And what are you gonna do if I don't?" the blond grinned.

"Kill you. Walking by myself is the only one I can preserve whatever movement I have left in my legs, so you're not helping me at all."

Convinced by Sasuke's sound logic, Naruto set the boy down in front of the stove. "Fine, okay, you're right! So, what do you want for breakfast?"

"I'll make it myself."

"Well, I was gonna have ramen and milk, but I'm making you breakfast too anyway, so I guess I'll make something you can tolerate," Naruto crossed his arms. "We're eating eggs sunny side up, okay?"

Sasuke glared and opened the fridge beside him, pulling out a carton of eggs. "Here. I'm making eggs too."

The tanned teenager beamed as he took the eggs. He flicked the switch on the stove and preheated the oven as his best friend took out some pans from the cabinet underneath. The blond cracked two eggs clumsily with both his hands into the pan, splattering them unevenly.

"Hn, you idiot," Sasuke smirked dully, "You couldn't cook to save your life."

"I'd like to see you do better!" Naruto stuck his tongue out childishly.

"Give me the box then, loser."

The blond grumbled as he passed the eggs to the Uchiha. Sasuke took two eggs, one with each hand, and, though his hands were shaking, managed to crack them onto the pan.

"You bastard!" Naruto pointed at Sasuke's face. "You told Sakura-chan and I that you couldn't cook!"

"My mom left me a few recipes behind, but I don't generally cook," Sasuke sighed. "I'm smart enough to know the basics of cooking at least, unlike you."

"Just because I only eat ramen doesn't mean I'm stupid!" Naruto pouted. "Ramen just tastes better."

"It does happen to mean that you can't cook."

"Oh yeah? Watch this!" the genin grabbed a spatula and flipped over his eggs with ease. "Beat that!"

"Hn," Sasuke clutched a spatula with his right hand and flipped the egg when his ivory hang begun to tremble violently. The egg landed on the edge of the pan, its yolk dripping and sizzling on the face of the stove.

Naruto's eyes widened, and the happiness he would have normally felt evaded him. Sasuke's eyes were just as wide as his. Their eyes met, black clashing with blue.

The Uchiha gritted his teeth. "This isn't supposed to happen!"

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto!" a feminine voice called out, footsteps echoing nearby. A slim teenage girl ran into the kitchen, adorning a pink coat.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto smiled toothily at the sight of his comrade.

"Both of you have to come to my house tomorrow morning, maybe around 11:00!" the med-nin looked at the two. "I'm having a Christmas party for Team 7! My parents are out of town visiting with relatives, but I decided to stay behind. Kakashi-sensei is coming too, so you just have to come."

"We'll be there!" the blond held out a peace sign. "Right, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's infinitely dark eyes glared at his teammates. "No."

"And why not? Come on, tell me!" Naruto whined.

Sasuke glared, "My father never believed in celebrating holidays as trivial as Christmas. After the massacre, I just had nobody to celebrate it with, nor did I want to."

"Don't you want to celebrate it with us?" the genin asked. "Team 7 is made up of your comrades, so you gotta celebrate with us if you want to or not! Sakura just said that we could go to her house tomorrow morning! Kakashi-sensei's gonna be there too, and we haven't seen him in a long time, you know!?"

"I haven't left the district since I got here, and I'm not planning on leaving anytime soon," Sasuke scowled. "I hate Christmas."

"Sasuke, you have to live. Stop moping, stop feeling sorry for yourself, and stop being so moody!" Sakura sighed. "You have to live your life, even more so now than before! Find a reason to live. I'll be your reason to live, and so will Naruto!"

"She's right! And how can someone hate Christmas?" Naruto questioned passionately. "Christmas is so pretty with all the lights, and the snow, and the presents, but you also get to celebrate it with people you care about! Come one, just go with me! What's holding you back?"

_Why is he holding back? He should live his life to the fullest! He needs to see that revenge isn't everything now that his life is at stake, but he's not gonna die!_

Their words seemed to hit Sasuke, crushing his defenses for a split second. For a moment, utter melancholy flashed in his eyes before returning to an emotionless frown.

"I just don't want to leave here."

"Why!?" Naruto shouted.

"There's no point in going out and pretending that it's okay. I'm dying."

_It almost sounds like you're giving up…_

"Why are you giving up?" Naruto pressed. "Uchihas don't give up! Sakura is working really hard for you, so don't be so depressed! If you go with us, you'll have fun!"

The Uchiha retorted, "Diseases aren't cured so easily. It's useless to hold onto fake hope."

"Ever heard of miracles?" the sun-kissed boy crossed his arms. "No matter what you say, you're a good person, even if you are a bastard. Just go and celebrate Christmas with your team."

Sasuke glanced at Sakura, searching for an answer.

"…Sasuke's right, but you are too, Naruto," Sakura sighed. "It's not easy to cure something, and although miracles to exist, you don't want to be disappointed. Even so, you can't lose hope! You have to live your life with all you've got! Come and spend Christmas with your team tomorrow, okay?"

"You guys aren't my team anymore," Sasuke looked away, "In case you haven't noticed, I'm no longer capable of being a ninja."

Naruto stuck out a peace sign inches from his best friend's eyes, "We'll always be your comrades no matter what you say!"

"I look like a fool, and you expect me to go strolling out there?"

"Well, what do you want to do then, Sasuke-kun?"

Suddenly, the smell of something burning filled the air. Naruto spun around to find the eggs flaming brightly on the stove.

"OH CRAP!" he yelled as he tossed the pans into the skin and turned the tap on.

Sakura chuckled, "You're so hopeless. I'll make you guys breakfast."

As Sakura made breakfast, the two boys sat at the kotatsu table. Naruto lay his head on the hard, wooden surface and whispered lazily, "So, what were you planning on doing anyway?"

"I don't owe you any explanations."

"You do owe him one!" Sakura interjected, "He never left your side for a whole year while you were in a coma! He's cared for you so much over the past year and a half in ways I never could! Don't you get it? Naruto -"

"Sakura-chan, don't!" Naruto shot up from the table and covered the chuunin's mouth.

_I don't want him to know yet._

Sasuke stared at the two for a solid moment and sighed, "I want to keep on walking until I can't anymore. I can't be that weak. I don't want to live, and I have no reason to, but I'm not going to take my own life away."

"If you're going to live, then live!" Naruto replied. "Don't act dead while you're alive."

"What about your promise?"

"I'll keep it if I have to, but Sakura is gonna cure you," Naruto stated firmly.

"Sakura, is he right?" the Uchiha narrowed his eyes.

"Naruto is…" Sakura trailed off, "Well, I have to go! I'm going to be late to the hospital, so I'll see you tomorrow! Oh, and Sasuke-kun, I left your pills on your plate!" The chuunin hastily left two plates of eggs on the table and scampered away.

Naruto frowned as he sat back down at the table, "What was that about? Anyway, Sasuke, I already bought all the presents, and even though you're a bastard, I bought you one too! I can't wait to see what I'm going to get, and I want to sleep right now so Christmas comes even faster! What about you? Did you buy anything? Wait, you haven't left here, so probably not…"

"…" The Uchiha turned to face the other genin.

"What!?" Naruto grinned nervously. Sasuke's dark eyes seemed to pierce right through him, analyzing his every movement, a strange look in his shadowy pools.

"What did Sakura mean?"

"What did she mean about what?" he laughed nervously. "Itadakimasu!" He quickly took a bite of his eggs and grinned. "These eggs are so good! Sakura-chan is really awe-"

"No, what did she mean about you?" Sasuke interrupted.

"Oh, you know, we're just pretty close to each other, huh?" Naruto explained anxiously. "She didn't mean anything else!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?"

Naruto bit his lip.

_He knows. Crap._

The blond dug into his food, slurping the yolk messily. Sasuke nodded and swallowed his pills, neglecting to get a glass of water. He sliced a piece of the egg clumsily and swallowed, an apathetic look adorning his mug.

The two ate in silence, and Christmas Eve passed quickly for them. Before they knew it, the moon was hanging high in the midnight sky. They fell asleep immediately in the Uchiha's warm bed with only a hastily said word of good night.

* * *

"Merry Christmas, Sasuke!" Uzumaki Naruto shook Sasuke's shoulders hyper actively with a gigantic look of delight plastered on his face. "You gotta get up! IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

The raven-haired beauty sat up in his bed, a look of murderous intent glinting in his charcoal pools. "Christmas is your excuse for waking me up? I was _sleeping._"

Naruto folded his arms seriously, "Don't start PMSing on me! You gotta get up so we can go see Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei! I let you sleep in, so we're already late! We were supposed to be there half an hour ago!"

Sasuke swore angrily as he glowered at the blond. Naruto was already completely dressed in his black boots and orange coat. He held a bright, neon colored bag that was stuffed with presents. The Uchiha stood from his bed and slipped on a black sweater that was left on the floor, no doubt by Naruto. Naruto turned away as his best friend took a few minutes to just pull off his sweatpants and put on his black jeans, followed by his regular shoes.

"Let's go," Sasuke shuffled clumsily out of his room, Naruto following behind him.

The two were welcomed outside of the complex with a burst of frigid air, snow blowing furiously around them. Sasuke shivered involuntarily, and the bright azure eyes of the other teenager noticed.

"Bastard," Naruto said, "Why didn't you grab a jacket? This is like a snowstorm, which is pretty rare for Konoha."

"I don't need one," Sasuke gritted his teeth.

"Don't be such a baby and go get one!"

"I don't need one."

"Whatever you say, but you're gonna regret it," Naruto shrugged as he and Sasuke trudged through the snow. Sasuke carefully lifted his foot and placed it down slowly in front of him, barely making any ground. His other foot followed the same pattern of lifting and placing his foot only centimeters in front of himself.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Naruto asked as soon as they made it out of the district.

"Just peachy," he hissed in reply.

"If you're gonna be so pissy about it," the blond lectured, "then why didn't you just bring a jacket in the first place?"

"It doesn't even ma-" the ill teenager was cut off when he felt his feet slip and his knees buckle on the ice. He shut his eyes, but he never sensed the ground make contact with his body. He warily opened his eyes to see strong arms holding him inches from snow covered path.

"I swear that I'll never let you fall," Naruto grinned, but seriousness reflected in his orbs.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted as he tried to free himself of Naruto's tight grip around his frame.

The genin hoisted Sasuke up to his feet and smiled, "We're almost there. Lean onto me so you don't fall over. My boots have better tread than your shoes."

"I don't need your help."

"Well, maybe if you had worn boots and a jacket, you actually wouldn't!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and marched forward through the blinding snow.

"Well, if it isn't Naruto and Sasuke-kun!" a feminine voice called out.

"We haven't seen them in a while!"

"How troublesome. I was wondering what happened to them."

Three people stepped out of the shadows of one of the shelters, each adorning specially made ninja winter jackets.

"Ino! Chouji! Shikamaru!" What are you guys doing here!?" Naruto beamed.

"We could ask you the same thing," Ino shook her head. "Honestly, do you guys have any clue for how to dress for winter? Oh, but Sasuke-kun always looks good!" The blonde chuunin ran forward and hugged the Uchiha tightly to her chest, grinning happily.

"We're on our way to Asuma's," Shikamaru explained. "He wanted us to stop by."

"You're so cold!" Ino exclaimed as she touched Sasuke's face, which was paler than usual. The Uchiha's teeth chattered at Ino's touch.

"Oi, Sasuke!" Naruto unbuttoned his coat and hung it over Sasuke's shoulders, grabbing his hand. "Let's hurry up! It's freezing!" The two walked forward towards the med-nin's house.

"We'll see you later!" Chouji waved when something caught his eye. "Hey, Sasuke, why are you walking fun-"

"SHUT UP, CHOUJI!" Ino covered her teammate's mouth. "Tsunade-sama told you not to say anything!"

Sasuke paused and narrowed his eyes. His grip around Naruto's hand tightened as he digested what Chouji just said.

"See you!" Team 10 called out behind them while running through the storm.

"I'm sure he just didn't know," Naruto patted the Uchiha on the back. "He's probably just stupid, right? What does it matter if you don't walk like other people?" The blond touched the other's icy cheek, only to get shivers up his spine. Sasuke was unnaturally cold, even without a jacket.

"Come on, let's hurry up! I'll carry you!" The blond picked Sasuke up effortlessly and hoisted him onto his back. The Uchiha didn't resist as he rested on Naruto's back.

"Dammit, it's cold," Naruto clenched his teeth, "But you're so much colder! I should have made you wear a jacket!"

_Please be okay, Sasuke!_

Uzumaki Naruto hurriedly ran through the snow until he saw Sakura's house looming ahead. He dashed forward and pounded on her door.

"SAKURA-CHAAAN! HURRY UP AND OPEN THE DOOR!"

The door swung open to reveal the pink haired teenager in a red sweater and pink pajama pants. A Christmas tree flashed its bright lights in the background where Kakashi was sitting, Icha Icha Paradise in his hands.

"Oh God, Naruto, what happened to you two?" Sakura covered her mouth in shock. "Get in here! You look you're going to freeze to death!"

Naruto obliged and carried Sasuke into the warm house. A blaze heated the room within the fire place, and Naruto hastily retreated there with Sasuke.

"Yo!" the masked man waved from beside the tree, not lifting his eyes from his book.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shuddered as he lay by the fire with his best friend, who was now laying beside him too.

"How are you, Sasuke-kun?" both Sakura and Kakashi asked.

The Uchiha didn't answer. He curled up into a ball and hugged his knees to his chest, trying to reclaim heat. His lips were tinged slightly blue.

"Why didn't you bring a jacket for yourself, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura crossed her arms. "From the looks of it, you have poor blood circulation, don't you?"

Naruto scratched his head, "Poor what?"

"It means that his hands and feet may go really cold at times, and it's hard to reclaim heat. It can be dangerous if untreated, and he should stay out of cold weather," the med-nin explained. "You got him here just in time. Any longer, and he may have had permanent damage to his nervous system."

"Oh," Naruto nodded when he realized that the bag was still in his hand. "Oh, here, Sakura-chan! I have all the presents in here!"

"Thanks," Sakura smiled. "I'll put them under the tree. You guys warm up by the fire with each other, and then you can come sit under the kotatsu table. I'll make breakfast in the mean time.

"Thank you!" Naruto cried gleefully. He crawled towards Sasuke and wrapped his arms around his body. "Am I making you warmer? I'm pretty cold myself, but we can probably generate more heat together!"

"...shut up, you idiot."

"Oh, so you don't want me to let go? Ooh, Sasuke, what are you thinking?"

"It's rare for me to get here before you," Kakashi intervened, a smile glinting in his one visible eye.

"We're actually later than Kakashi-sensei!?" Naruto gasped, putting a hand to his mouth. "I can't believe it..."

The three waited in silence, Kakashi reading his book while the other two cuddled for warmth.

Sakura called out from her kitchen, "Okay, breakfast is in the oven, so we can eat after we open presents!"

"YES!" the blond cried gleefully as he ran to the kotatsu in front of the tree.

_No way. I just realized that this is the first time I've been to Sakura-chan's house! She has a pretty nice place too…_

The room was decorated with several holiday ornaments, the walls painted a royal mahogany. Everything was neat and orderly with not a speck of dust visible, yet the house seemed warm and inviting.

Sasuke gradually shuffled to his feet and made his way to the kotatsu table, slipping underneath it beside Naruto. Only their heads were visible.

"Sorry, but I didn't have the time to get you guys anything!" Kakashi shut his book closed. "I just got back from a mission, but I guess I'll get you guys something next time."

"Wait…" Naruto's cerulean eyes widened. "Sakura-chan, explain to me how it is that Kakashi got here before us! HE'S ALWAYS LATE!"

"Well," Sakura winked, "I told him to be here at 7:00 AM so that he'd actually get here early. He got here around an hour ago."

"You're so smart, Sakura-chan!" Naruto gazed in awe.

"It's called experience," the female teenager smiled as she picked up three packages from underneath the tree. She passed one to each person, happiness dancing in her sea foam eyes.

Naruto sat up and ripped his package open, the glittering wrapping paper torn to shreds. "More miso ramen and a new pouch!? Thank you!"

"I figured you could never have too much ramen, and your pouch is getting kind of old," the pink-haired chuunin waved around a victory sign.

"Healing balm?" Kakashi's eyes closed happily. "I just ran out of some on my last mission. Thanks."

"I made it myself too," she beamed proudly. "So, Sasuke-kun, like yours? I figured that I hadn't gotten you anything for your past two birthdays or Christmases, so you deserved something really good."

Naruto glanced to his left to see Sasuke in a sitting position with a small pile of golden wrapping paper on his lap. A beautifully carved, bamboo flute rested in his delicate hands. His obsidian orbs were wide in shock and warmth.

"…I haven't played the flute since before I landed in the hospital. Thanks," the Uchiha expressed gratitude uncharacteristically. The blond felt a tug at his heart, and a dull ache spread through his body.

_Does he really like her, or does he just like his present? Maybe I should ask him sometime…_

"Come on, Sasuke, play something!" Naruto tugged at Sasuke's sweater. "I've never heard you play before!"

"Naruto, we should finish handing out the presents first!" Sakura scolded.

The blond beamed, "Let's hand out mine! Sakura-chan, can you do it? I'm too warm and cozy underneath here…"

"Don't be lazy!" the med-nin lectured, but gave in. She handed out a rectangular package to Sasuke, a pyramid shaped one to Kakashi, and kept for herself a package identical to Sasuke's. Each package had a name scribbled on bright orange wrapping paper.

"No...NO WAY!" Kakashi's eyes were as wide as could be. "MAKE OUT TACTICS? It's not even supposed to be released yet!"

"I pulled some strings with Ero-Sennin," Naruto grinned, putting his arms behind his head. "He gave me an advance copy. There's more in there, you know!"

At the same time, all three teammates tore off the cheap paper and pulled out a leather bound book. Sakura raised an eyebrow as she flipped through the book, but her expression immediately turned warm.

"Do you like it!?" the blond leaned forward in anticipation.

"I don't know what to say," Sakura's eyes watered. "Thank you."

Kakashi flipped through the large book, and he smiled cooly. "That was very thoughtful of you, Naruto. Thank you."

Sasuke's nimble hands flipped the first page open, but his face remained blank. He flipped speedily through the pages until he reached the end. His dark orbs concentrated on the last page thoughtfully, and he smirked.

"Is this some sort of scrapbook you put together of Team 7?" he asked.

"Yeah! It took so much time, but I'm really proud of it!" Naruto laughed. He looked over the pale skinned boy's shoulder as he again opened the scrapbook. Countless pictures of the squad were pasted into the pages, ones of Naruto being stupid with his teammates laughing at him, ones of them eating ramen, their official team picture, and more. As they made it to the last page, Naruto's azure eyes scanned the two photographs glued on. They were the ones taken at the hospital before Sasuke was given the news about his illness. On top was the one with Sasuke looking thoughtful and somewhat happy with Sakura, and the one at the bottom was of Sasuke staring at the camera amusedly with Naruto.

"Hn. Merry Christmas indeed," Sasuke murmured.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the blond asked.

"I have nothing to explain to you," the Uchiha smirked.

"Hey!" Naruto stood up firmly. "Don't just go and say things and not explain them, bastard! Are you listening to me?"

Sasuke didn't answer. He blinked randomly, but didn't respond. His eyes seemed to almost cloud over as he stared seemingly beyond anything in the room.

"Naruto..." Sakura tested his name on her tongue. "Did he take his pills before you guys came here?"

"OH, CRAP!" Naruto put his head in his hands. "I SCREWED UP! IS HE GOING TO DIE!?"

"No, it's fine, Naruto," Sakura soothed him gently, "but he just has to take his pills around the same time everyday. It's 12:30, but he shouldn't be like this already. Maybe the snowstorm really affected him, unless he had some sort of traumatic experience…?"

A flashback of Chouji's comment reeled in Naruto's mind, and he finally realized what had happened.

"I think," Naruto added, "that maybe Chouji's comment really made him mad or something. We bumped into Team 10 on the way here, and Chouji said something that hurt Sasuke. Sasuke didn't say anything, but maybe it hurt him more inside than I thought?"

"What did he say?" Kakashi asked.

"He asked something about why Sasuke was walking weird or something stupid like that."

"Hn, Sasuke-kun has quite the ego, so probably," Sakura sighed. "We just have to wait for it to pass, which can't be too long from now. Oh, I think he's coming to!"

Sasuke's eyelids fluttered lazily, revealing his coal irises. His eyes focused and analyzed the room around him, registering the faces of everyone around him. His eyes refocused on the blond's face, and he raised a defined eyebrow.

"Who are you?"

A/N: I'm really excited for the next chapter to come up because stuff actually begins to happen. It's pretty light hearted, but there's a dramatic step that won't quite reveal itself for a few chapters. XD. Until next chapter: Frozen.


	10. Frozen

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the following:

LONG KISS GOODBYE - Halcali

ROCKS - Hound Dog

YURA YURA - Hearts Grow

[distance] - LONG SHOT PARTY

Kimi Monogatari - little by little

NARUTO - Masashi Kishimoto

You can find the Naruto covers of the last four songs on the internet. Yes, so the characters that I had sing these songs actually did sing them!

'_**Till Death Do Us Part - Frozen**_

"How's he doing, Sakura-chan!? Is he going to be all right!? WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM!?"

"Calm down, Naruto," Sakura soothed gently. "Sasuke-kun is just in the other room. I'm going to do some tests on him, and then we'll see what's going on."

The blond grumbled. "Okay, but why can't I go with you to see him?!"

"We need a quiet environment, and you're not exactly...quiet," Sakura smiled. "I'm going to go see him now, so just wait here."

The two were sitting in the lobby of Konoha Hospital in the all too familiar plastic chairs. They had escorted Sasuke there quickly through the snowstorm, which had luckily died down quite a bit. Kakashi had stayed behind to take care of Sakura's house while she was gone.

"Why doesn't he remember me?" the genin asked.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure it's just you he doesn't remember. He might not remember a few other things, although he seems to remember me and Kakashi-sensei. I'll let you know how it goes," the med-nin stood from her seat and disappeared behind the corner.

Azure eyes were filled with utter confusion and melancholy. Naruto sighed and put his head back in his hands.

_Why the hell can't he remember me of all people?_

_**Sasuke's eyelids fluttered lazily, revealing his coal irises. His eyes focused and analyzed the room around him, registering the faces of everyone around him. His eyes refocused on the blond's face, and he raised a defined eyebrow.**_

"_**Who are you?"**_

_**The blond felt his blood run cold, yet he was sweating from anxiety. "What do you mean, 'who am I?'" Naruto questioned. "It's just me, Naruto!"**_

"_**I don't know anyone by that name, so why the hell are you sitting this close to me?" Sasuke motioned with his hand that they were squeezed together under the kotatsu. **_

"_**What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura instinctively put her hand to his forehead.**_

"_**Nothing, just that some loser is acting like he knows me!" The raven haired beauty slapped her hand away. "Why is he here anyway?"**_

"_**Sasuke," Kakashi looked at him oddly, "list your teammates from Team 7."**_

"_**You, Sakura, and myself," Sasuke stated dully. "I don't know why we don't have a fourth person on our team, but we just don't."**_

"_**But, Sasuke, I..." Naruto trailed off. "I thought we were...friends. How could you forget?"**_

Naruto sighed melancholically and waited silently. His eyes were glued to the clock across from him, and he absorbed himself within the _tick tock_ sound. He filled his ears with it, waiting for Sakura to hurry up and come. All of a sudden, he felt himself being shaken violently by two delicate, but strong hands.

"Hello, Naruto!?" Sakura yelled. "I thought you wanted to see Sasuke-kun!"

"GAH!" the blond jumped out of his seat in fright. He was so absorbed in staring at the clock that he had neglected to listen for Sakura.

"You can come see Sasuke-kun with me now!"

"How is he?!" Naruto asked.

"His memory seems to be intact for the most part," the chuunin sighed. "His memories about Team 7 and the past couple of years are a bit fuzzy and, of course, he can't seem to remember you. Some of his memories are wrong too because you're missing from them. He also doesn't remember some things and people from the village."

"Am I..." Naruto's hands tightened into fists, "Really that unimportant to him?"

"Don't say that!" Sakura clutched his tanned hand and squeezed it. "I think you're more important to him than either of you know. Just come see him!" She pulled him impatiently and ran down the hallway with him. She pulled open one of the doors on her right to reveal a clinic style examination room. Sasuke was sitting erect on the bed, and Sakura had left a clip board on one of the chairs. The walls were a bright yellow, and the blinds were open to reveal the village of Konoha.

"So this guy is my teammate and my best friend supposedly?" Sasuke raised a thin eyebrow. "He looks like an idiot."

"What did you say, bastard!?" Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the shirt.

"Calm down, Naruto," Sakura pushed Naruto to the side coolly. "Now, Sasuke-kun, tell Naruto what you remember."

"I remember nothing about this dumbass," Sasuke sighed. "I'm surprised that we were friends. I don't know how I could handle someone so loud and annoying."

"Tell him, Sasuke-kun," Sakura interrupted.

"I remember my clan...the massacre...I somewhat remember Team 7. Those memories are weird, and they don't make sense. I don't remember a lot of the villagers Sakura quizzed me on, and I don't remember all the details of our missions, why things happened, etcetera."

"Anything else you'd like to add?" Sakura winked.

Sasuke scowled, "There was someone very important to me, but it's all too fuzzy to remember who. The person was important to me because they made me feel like I finally had someone I could count on."

"Thanks, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura grinned. "Wait in the lobby for Naruto so you can go home together. I doubt that you guys want to come back to my place, so I'll drop off the presents at your place later," Sakura opened the door for Sasuke. The raven-haired beauty slid off the bed and hobbled forward awkwardly. The med-nin noted this, and she sighed melancholically, "Sasuke-kun, would you like me to have Naruto bring a wheelchair over to your complex? It seems like it might not be a bad option..."

"A wheelchair!?" Naruto's eyes practically popped out of his head. The word tasted like bile in his mouth, and he nearly gagged at the mere mention of it.

_That's so wrong! The idea of pushing him in a wheelchair because he can't walk anymore...that's so wrong. It was never supposed to be like this. _

"Wheelchair?" Sasuke spat. "I don't need one." He slammed the door with whatever energy he had, leaving Sakura and Naruto alone.

"Naruto, I think Sasuke loves you," Sakura grinned once the sound of his light footsteps had disappeared down the hall.

The blond flushed, "What makes you think that?"

"Oh, just that he doesn't remember the one person he can count on. He has someone very important to him that he can't remember, and he seems to remember me and Kakashi-sensei almost clearly. Who else could it be but you? You're the one that takes care of him, so he's more inclined to depend on you. Naruto, you make a difference in his life. Just keep on doing that, and maybe dare to get closer with him."

"R-really?" Naruto gasped. "I never thought it was right for me to feel this way about him, but maybe...it's okay! Yeah, it's okay! As the future Hokage, I declare this completely normal! Our gender doesn't make a difference as long as we really care about each other!"

Sakura smiled knowingly. "It's good to come to terms with your own feelings. I'm happy for you."

"Oh," Naruto frowned, "but is he gonna remember me?"

"Don't worry about it," Sakura reassured him. "Memory problems are common with seizures, so he'll probably just have a hard time remembering stuff right after one, just like now Don't you remember back when Sasuke couldn't remember having woken up and stuff? People usually remember after a while, so give it a few hours to a few days. Anyway, I'll stop by with Kakashi-sensei on New Year's Eve, and we can do something together if you want!"

"All right, see you then, Sakura-chan! Thanks a lot!" Naruto burst out of the room and dashed down the hallway.

"Wait, Naruto, there was something else I needed to tell you!"

The blond didn't hear her. He kept on running until he could see the spiky back of Sasuke's head near the exit. With a mischievous smile, he crept up behind him slowly and put his mouth near his ear.

_Yeah, I'm fine with really liking Sasuke! We've done a lot together, and there's no real reason why we should be denied happiness._

"You know, your hair looks like a duck butt's." Naruto whispered sneakily.

"At least my head doesn't look like someone slapped an exclamation bubble on it," Sasuke replied dully. "I could hear you 'sneak up', by the way."

"No way it looks like that!" Naruto whined. "And no duh, of course you noticed me; you're a great ninja, although you're not as good as me."

"I'm not a ninja anymore," the other boy bit his lip. "Let's just go home."

"Fine by me!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and headed for the door.

Sasuke raised his left eyebrow so high that it looked like it was about to jump off his forehead.

"Have we always held hands like this?"

"Not always, but we have more recently just because, you know...?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Not really."

Naruto gave him a look of irritation, "Let's just go!"

* * *

"Sasuke, are you almost ready?! Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei will be here soon!"

"You idiot. Kimono take a long time to actually put on properly, something you wouldn't know," Sasuke sneered from the other side of the door.

Naruto slid down the other side of the shogi door and sighed, "Come on already! Do you want help?"

"I can get dressed myself, although it seems that you're the one that needs help."

"You haven't even seen me in my kimono yet!" the blond whined.

The two were getting ready for New Year's Eve and the festivities they were about to go to, although they had no idea what Sakura and Kakashi were planning for them. There was a festival in the center of the village, but Sasuke refused to go there. The only reason he had agreed to go party in general was because it was the only holiday the Uchiha clan ever celebrated.

Sasuke, after half an hour, finally opened his bedroom door. He was fully dressed in a male kimono, a very elegant brown one. It somehow made him pale skin look more like porcelain, and he seemed refined. However, it also pointed out to Naruto just how small the Uchiha's frame had become.

The Uchiha smirked, "I was right, loser."

Naruto looked down at his own attire. His own orange kimono had been messily tied together, and it was all very sloppy. There were wrinkles everywhere, and he nervously tried to flatten them out, only to make them worsen.

"Why don't you fix it then!?" Naruto folded his arms angrily.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto!" Sakura called out. Her footsteps echoed loudly through the hallway until she nearly ran into the two teenagers. Her hair was pulled up into a chopstick bun, and she had a lovely, navy, flower patterned kimono on.

"Naruto, your kimono is a mess!" she complained. "Let me fix it." As Sakura quickly untied his kimono and redid it, she glanced at the dark haired male across from her.

"No, I still don't remember anything," he muttered darkly, sensing the questioning look in her sea foam eyes.

"Yo!" Kakashi walked into the scene, Icha Icha Tactics in his hand. He wore a black kimono, and he still had the mask on his face.

"Hey, so what did you guys want to do?" Sakura asked earnestly, stepping away from Naruto and his now neat kimono. "There's the festival down in the village..."

Sasuke interjected, "No."

"Hey!" Naruto interrupted. "Why don't we make a list of stuff we all want to do together! We don't have to do it all tonight, but we can just a list of stuff we've always wanted to do with each other, and then we can make plans for what to do tonight from it!"

"That's a nice idea, Naruto," Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. He took out a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket.

"Let's go do karaoke!" Naruto grinned. "Karaoke is so much fun!"

"I want to laugh so hard together that it hurts," Sakura smiled.

"What about you, Sasuke?" their sensei looked up from his sheet of paper.

"...I want to walk in the rain, and I want to lie in the field where we became genin. Maybe I'll remember this loser that you say I'm best friends with."

"Hey, HEY, we should go to Ichiraku!" Naruto cut in.

Sakura punched him playfully, "But we've already been there a million times! I say we go to a real restaurant for once!"

"Anything else?" Kakashi asked, still writing down his student's ideas.

"Nah, I think that's it!" the blond beamed. "Let's start off with karaoke if you don't want to go to the festival! It's already getting late, and the fireworks are going to start soon!"

The four left the Uchiha complex and headed for the nearest karaoke bar. They took the back roads so Sasuke would be more comfortable with walking out in the open. Sasuke leaned on Naruto, struggling to walk without falling over.

_I'll stay by your side forever...Disease can't come between us. I'll protect you with my own life._

Naruto grabbed Sasuke's thinning waist and pulled him close to his body. He supported his weight, leading him towards the karaoke bar. Sakura smiled, sadness tinting her eyes. Kakashi noticed, but said nothing as he happily led the way. Sasuke's body tensed, but he remained silent.

They finally opened a shogi door with several paper lanterns hanging above it, and they found themselves inside the resident karaoke bar. Colored lights hung form the wooden ceiling, and there were several people chatting mindlessly at tables. A small group of villagers were singing a song in front of the karaoke machine, which was on a mini platform stage. Team 7 sat themselves at the table closest to the karaoke machine, watching the two messily put-together women and three men singing intently.

"Anytime shaberisugi no KY chirari miseru tsuyogari na I cry..." (Anytime you talk too much, I know you don't get it, I briefly notice your bluff and I cry...)

Naruto leered from the bench seating, "They're terrible! Any of us could do better than that!"

The women, who were dressed in black mini dresses that were two sizes too small, gave Team 7 a dirty look. Anger contorted their makeup-covered faces, and they looked back at the men of their group.

"Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?"

The blond turned his head to find Sakura's cream colored hand resting on Sasuke's shoulder, concern painted upon her features. Sasuke's forehead was in his hands, and he looked like he was about to pass out. His blanched face was ashen, unhealthily white.

"Sasuke, I'll take you home if you don't feel well," the sensei commented, falsely smiling.

"I'm just tired," the Uchiha mumbled. "Naruto...why are there so many bunshin?"

Naruto stared at his friend. "What do you mean? I don't have any kage bunshin here!"

"Then why are there so many of you?" he groaned, shutting his eyes.

"Are you..." Naruto searched for the proper word to say to the teenager beside to his right, "okay?"

"I'm just tired," he muttered.

"Well," Kakashi stood from his seat. "Once this group singing is done, I think I'll sing for you guys. It's all in good fun."

"It's normal for people with SCA to get double vision," Sakura attempted to comfort him. "It'll pass. Don't worry, okay?"

A middle aged man stopped at their table dressed in a festive kimono. "Can I take your order?"

"Mmm, green tea and some sushi? It doesn't matter what kind; anything good is okay," Sakura piped up.

The group on stage finished their song and left the stage, fury exuding from every fiber of their bodies. As the waiter left, Kakashi grinned beneath his mysterious mask and headed towards the stage. He slipped a few coins into the juke box behind him. Music began to play, and Kakashi picked up one of the microphones the group had tossed aside onto the floor.

"COME ON!"

Team 7's jaws dropped, even the exhausted Sasuke's. Kakashi, their sensei, was actually singing. He was actually singing, and he was singing _well_.

"Owareru you ni isoideiru..." (Like you are being chased, you are in a hurry...)

_Woah, Kakashi-sensei! You sing?!_

"I didn't know Kakashi-sensei could do things like that..." Sakura stared at him in awe. "I call singing next!"

"I'll sing after you, Sakura-chan!" Naruto beamed. "You'll sing last, right Sasuke?"

"Sing?" Sasuke's eyebrows looked like they were about to leap off his face. "You're kidding me."

"No, I'm not!" he tugged at Sasuke's kimono. "Are you just scared that I'm going to totally crush you? Heh, should have known. After all, I'm the best singer in Konoha, as well as future Hokage!"

"Are you challenging me?" Sasuke leaned in towards Naruto's face, competition heating up in his eyes. A smirk replaced his standard frown, and his weariness wore away. "You don't understand what I'm capable of."

"Haha, bastard, why are you getting so worked up?" Naruto leered. "You just know you can't beat me because I'm so much better than you! I'm the greatest ninja there ever was!"

"Hn, we'll just see about that!"

Sakura's laugh jingled in their ears. "You two always bicker like this! Are you sure you don't remember Naruto, Sasuke-kun?"

"No, I don't!" Fire blazed within his eyes, his competitive nature flaring up again. "This dumbass isn't even worth challenging!"

"Bastard! I'm more of an opponent than you should dare take on!"

"I'm the one who had to save your ass back in the Valley of the Waves because you were stupid enough to get yourself trapped in there with me!"

It was all of their turns to laugh this time, and even a shadow of a smile creeped upon Sasuke's visage. They hadn't been so lively in a long time, and now was the moment that they all realized that their bond was still there, unbroken and intact. Their bond was stronger than Sasuke's illness, and the return of at least some of his memories proved that.

"I remember more about you than before, Naruto," Sasuke's eyes glimmered with as much happiness as he could let through. "It's all coming back..."

Kakashi's song faded as he sang the last lines. "I wanna rocks, ooh, mune ni rocks!" (I wanna rocks, ooh, rocks in my chest!)

"Go Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto jumped up from his seat, throwing his fist into the air.

"Thanks," he replied nonchalantly as he stepped off the stage, returning to his seat at Team 7's table.

"My turn," Sakura winked as she stood from the table. She sprang onto the stage and stuffed in some ryo into the karaoke machine, Kakashi stalking off stage to take his seat beside Naruto.

"Yura yura to yuganda sora e kimi no motto wo tonde yuke..." (In these wavering skies,

I will fly to you..."

"Here you go," the waiter popped up again, his balding head reflecting the colorful lights. He placed a kettle of green tea and four orders of sushi on their table, leaving four packages of chopsticks beside them.

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto ripped his chopsticks open and broke them apart. He shoveled down a California roll and sighed. "Sakura-chan sings so well...and the sushi isn't bad..."

Kakashi broke his chopsticks apart as well. "Itadakimasu."

The sickly teenager took his chopsticks and peeled the paper away, taking the chopsticks in hand. He clutched them tightly by the ends and tried to pull them apart, but no avail. He swore under his breath and pulled harder, managing to split into two. He reached for a maki sushi, but his chopsticks didn't quite reach it. Coal eyes widened, not noticing Naruto's azure eyes on him.

_He...he's lost so much of his depth perception...I wonder how he feels getting up in the morning, not knowing what else he's lost. Why did this disease choose Sasuke? Why did it choose him when he still had so much to live for!? It's not fair...I told Neji that destiny could always be changed, but if Sakura-chan doesn't find something, then-_

"Futatsu no chigiri..." (The two oaths...) Sakura's voice faded, her song finishing.

The self-proclaimed future Hokage clapped for his teammate, but turned back to face Sasuke. His dark brows were furrowed in frustration. His hands were attempting to use the chopsticks properly to grab sushi, but he kept on dropping his food. It was like he no longer knew how to use chopsticks at all.

"Hey, waiter!" Naruto yelled over the chattering noise. "We need a fork here!"

"Shut up," Sasuke hissed.

"Naruto, it's your turn," Kakashi mentioned nonchalantly.

"Hurry up, Naruto!" Sakura put her hands on her hips, suddenly sitting beside Sasuke again.

The blond squeezed through Kakashi and ran on the stage, murmuring words of rushed apology. He stuffed some ryo into the karaoke machine and hastily grabbed at the mic.

"You are my friend, aah, ano hi no yume ima demo mada wasuretenain desho!" (You are my friend, aah, even now you haven't forgotten the dream we had that day!)

Sapphire eyes scanned the audience in front of him. Few people but his own team were actually watching him, but he felt amazing. Adrenaline rushed through his body as he sang his heart out, not bothering to care if he was any good.

"Everyday kono saki mo shining day kawarazu singing hikaru asa no smile!" (Everyday, I look to the shining day ahead, I keep on singing, waiting for tomorrow's smile!)

Naruto absolutely loved this song. It was just _his_ song. It described his entire life, the meaning of his existence. It described his reason for living. Most of all, it described his relationship with Sasuke and the circumstance of their lives.

"Thank you my friend, aah, ano hi no koto ima de mo mada oboeteru kara!" (Thank you my friend, aah, I haven't forgotten what happened that day!)

His eyes wandered to look over at Sasuke, the only one in the world he truly would give everything up for. He would give up everything for anyone he cared about, but Sasuke...Sasuke was a different story.

_He's different because I love him. I don't care if he loves me back or not. I just want to stay with him. I never want him to leave...It's selfish, but it's painful too. I'd do anything. I'd give up my soul._

You are my dream, aah, mou nidoto sou modoranai days, oh, I'll go the distance!" (You are my dream, aah, we can never go back to the old days, oh, I'll go the distance!)

_I'll go the distance for you._

Naruto hopped off stage, a permanent grin pasted on his face. "Hey, I was amazingly awesome, wasn't I? Beat that, Sasuke!"

Sakura's eyes were bulging out of their sockets in sheer amazement. "Naruto...you actually...sing?"

"Uzumaki Naruto NEVER lies!" he stuck out a victory sign, plopping down at the edge of the of the bench.

Sasuke stood up, his legs wobbling unevenly. He took two cautious steps forward, leaving the seating area. A look of determination set on his face as he struggled forward, his knees unbending.

Naruto nodded to himself as he watched Sasuke fight to walk.

_I have to let him try. If he falls, he tried, and he can get back up again. I can help him up, but he has to try. He has to live because life in itself is a wonderful thing..._

The Uchiha climbed up the steps, grabbing onto the railing with both hands. He finally made it onto the stage, stumbling over his own feet, but in one piece. He fumbled with the change, but managed to clumsily insert it into the machine. He reached for the microphone and managed to grab it, bringing it to his face.

"Todoke todoke tooku e ima wo kishikaisei namida azukete..." (Reach out, reach out, into the distance. Now I trust these revived tears to you...)

Every member of Team 7's jaw dropped. Uchiha Sasuke, the emotionless and stoic teenager, the one who refused to show emotion, really was singing.

Naruto trailed off, "He sings damn well..."

"The fangirls would kill to be here, wouldn't they?" Kakashi smirked obliviously.

"Sasuke-kun...you..." Sakura searched for words, but was unsuccessful.

"Nakushite kizuite sakende mogaiteta hibi ga kono michi no sukoshi saki wo mata terashiteru..." (Being lost, realization, shouting out, my everyday struggles, light ahead part of this road again.)

Naruto gulped. This song would break Sasuke down, or it would kill him.

_There's no way he can sing a song like that and feel nothing. Why the hell would he choose a song like that anyway?_

"Well, this is out of character for Sasuke, isn't it?" Kakashi mentioned casually.

"Kono tobira no mukou ni mada minu asu ga otozureru kara hajimare nagai nagai kimi monogatari..." (Until a tomorrow we can't see visits from the other side of this page, it begins, a long, long story about you...)

"Mm, I still beat him though, didn't I, Sakura-chan?" Naruto frowned, but inside he was smiling.

_I don't understand, but maybe he's trying to do something for himself. Maybe he's not giving up after all. Maybe..._

_Maybe there's hope._

"Sou hitori ja nani mo dekinai yo, demo jibun ni gakkari shinaide. Hora, kimi no enjin wa shizuka ni hiri ga tomoridasu. Konya matsu no mo mataseru koto mo tokui janai kara ubai ni yuku. Sonna kimi wa machigai janai sa!" (That's right, you can't do anything on your own, but don't become disappointed. Look, your engine is quietly burning. Tonight, keep on waiting and waiting. Even if you're not good at things, keep grasping. You can't go wrong with that!)

Suddenly, the loud sound of an explosion cut Sasuke off. The surprised and gleeful sounds of the villagers filled the karaoke bar, and several people ran out to see the fireworks show. Bright colors lit up the dim bar, illuminating only Team 7, the only people left inside.

"Koko kara hajimare hitotsu dake no kimi monogatari..." (From here it begins, the one and only story about you...) Sasuke finished blandly, obviously disapproving of the fact that the fireworks had interrupted him. The rest of Team 7 stood from their table and waited for Sasuke, who hadn't moved.

"Sasuke...?" Naruto asked worriedly.

His mic dropped to the floor, barely making a sound with the crashing of the fireworks outside.

"Sasuke!" the blond ran forward to his best friend's side. "Are you okay?"

Sasuke blinked dazedly, then shook his head. "Things were just blurry for a second. Let's go."

"Don't scare me like that!" Naruto scolded, taking his hand once again. "Come on, let's go!"

Sakura and Kakashi smiled knowingly. They walked ahead of them outside, leaving the two alone.

"I'm so happy, Sasuke!" Naruto grinned toothily. "Tonight was really fun! You actually sing pretty damn well, but you're nowhere even close to singing as well as I do!"

"Maybe you need a hearing aid because all I heard during your performance was the sound of a cat dying," the pale boy smirked.

They strode off stage together and walked slowly towards the rest of their team. Sasuke shook his hand from Naruto's grip and placed it around his tanned shoulder. Naruto looked down at Sasuke's legs and noted how they struggled to move, unbending and barely lifting from the ground.

_Crap, he's getting worse! _Naruto bit his lip as they made it outside. Colorful sparks lit up the midnight sky, cries of "Happy New Year" being shrieked in the distance.

"Happy New Year, Sasuke," Naruto whispered huskily to the teenager beside him.

"Sakura," Sasuke ignored his aid. "It's tonight. Are you ready?"

"Tonight!?" Sakura turned around to face the boy on her left, panic evident in her voice. "I'm not sure..."

"We may never have another chance," he added. "It's...my last request from you."

Sakura bit her lip uneasily, her eyes watering. She sighed and looked him in the eye uneasily. "Okay."

"Am I missing something?" Naruto questioned, oblivious. Kakashi was eyeing them too, but said nothing.

"I'll explain later, Naruto. It's something Sasuke-kun and I agreed to. There's not a lot of time, so we have to go now! We'll see you later!" Sakura grabbed Sasuke's fragile hand and took off, walking as fast as she could with a disabled person.

"But, Sakura-chan! Sasuke!" Naruto called out. "What's going on?"

"Leave them be, Naruto," Kakashi stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Whatever it is, there's a reason for it. They'd never do something to hurt you, so trust your comrades."

Naruto watched them disappear within the crowd, loneliness taking its place in his heart.

_I can't do a lot for him. Sakura-chan can heal him. She works hard everyday to help him get better. She's the key to his survival. But what do I do? I live with him. I help him walk. That's it. Hell, I can't even cook! How can I expect him to depend on me? His hope is probably all with Sakura-chan now. I have to do something. I can't be so useless. I've never felt like this before. I need to be able to help him. Sakura-chan said he loves me, but why is he going with her for whatever it is he needs? She also said that he doesn't remember everything about Kakashi-sensei and her._

_I wonder if he will ever be able to count on me._

A/N: By the way, Sasuke's and Naruto's kimonos are from the BROKEN YOUTH Naruto Shippuden ED. I guess Sakura's is from the fourth opening? ...What do you think Sasuke and Sakura are doing? Killing Itachi? Planning a funeral? Arm wrestling? Finding a cure? Doing something naughty? Until next chapter: Love.


	11. Love

A/N: I want to give a special shout out to my reviewers. It's you guys that make me want to write more. It's you guys that make me happy when I'm down. It's you guys that have me here writing when I have exams the next day...XD.

Edited August 25, 2012.

DISCLAIMER: Be glad I don't own Naruto. Crack, yaoi, yuri, and strangeness would ensue.

'_**Till Death Do Us Part - Love**_

"I'm going out, Naruto."

"_**NARUTO!"**_

"_**GAH!" Naruto jolted upwards and fell out of bed onto the floor, knocking his head against the dresser.**_

_**Sakura put her hands on her hips. "Naruto, are you deaf? Sasuke-kun and I've been looking for you for ages! You sleep like a log!"**_

_**Naruto gazed into her face. After she and Sasuke had left, he had just gone back to Sasuke's and fallen sleep. He examined her creamy features closely. She had large bags under her swollen, bloodshot eyes. Her skin was paler than usually, and she seemed to have a different atmosphere to her, like she had aged since the night before.**_

"Huh?" Naruto opened his eyes lazily, stretching. He sat up straight and looked for Sasuke from where he was sitting. His bowl of miso ramen lay untouched in front of him on the kotatsu table.

_I must have fallen asleep...I didn't eat my breakfast. Sasuke must have taken his own plate away already._

_It must be hard to get around the house the way he is...But there's always hope, right? People all over the world are researching this, and I know that Konoha is working really hard! We gotta do our best!_

"I said I'm leaving. I'll be back later," Sasuke called quietly from afar, barely audible.

"Wha? You're actually leaving your house? You almost never do!" Naruto yelled, surprised. "You like to sit in your emo corner all the time, emo bastard!"

"It's Valentine's Day, idiot. I made plans with Sakura."

"...Sakura, huh?" Naruto stared down at his ramen. He could almost hear it taunting him with words of hatred, jealousy and anger.

_I thought Sakura-chan said that_ _he liked me for sure. Why would she say that? They're dating...I just know they are. She knows I like him, but she's going out on a date with him today! She should have told me at least..._

_Sakura-chan...Why would you betray me like this?_

"_**He's in here, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called out, turning to face the door.**_

_**Sasuke staggered into the room, clutching onto the door railing for support. His legs wobbled unevenly, and sweat drops ran down his ashen face. He struggled to hold himself up, nearly panting from the effort.**_

_**Naruto's eyes averted his eyes to the Uchiha. He looked almost dead, dark bags etched underneath his black vortexes. **_

"_**Did you guys get any sleep at all last night?" Naruto scratched his back lazily. "You both look like hell."**_

"_**At least we don't naturally look like we got run over," Sasuke scoffed.**_

"_**Be quiet already," Sakura put a hand to her head, "You're both giving me a migraine."**_

"_**Sakura-chan..." Naruto trailed off. "Is something the matter?"**_

"_**It's nothing!" the chunnin barked. An awkward silence filled the room, none of the three uttering a word. Sakura shook her head.**_

"_**I'm sorry," she attempted to smile. "I'm just really stressed right now. I gotta go, but Naruto, just so you know, I left you and Sasuke a wheelchair plus your Christmas presents in the front. I think it might be of some use to you guys..."**_

_**The blond felt himself pale at the mention of that taboo word. **_

"Are you leaving right now to meet up with her somewhere?" the blond asked loudly.

"Yeah."

"Hold on, I'm coming. I should at least say bye to you, even though you're the rudest, snottiest bastard that ever lived." He stood up from the kotatsu table and walked towards the entrance tiredly.

"I don't really care," Sasuke muttered.

"You took your medicine, right?" Naruto yawned, finally reaching the exit.

_**Sasuke threw her a look of mixed emotion as she left the room while sniffling.**_

_**Naruto sat up straight, grabbing the bed to pull himself up. "What the hell happened between the two of you!? Did you guys 'break up' or something?"**_

"_**Are you crazy? What do you think we did?" Sasuke spat defensively, crossing his arms.**_

"_**I have no clue; that's why I'm asking!"**_

"_**I'm going to bed. I don't need to explain anything to you."**_

"_**Um, okay?" Naruto asked more than stated. "That wasn't very helpful, so why don't you just say exactly what you two did besides 'accomplishing something!?' Let me in on this!" **_

"_**How about no?" Sasuke took a step towards him. "I don't have anything to explain to-"**_

_**Sasuke's balance wavered uncontrollably. His eyes shut closed and he began to fall forward, his face headed straight for the floor.**_

"_**Sasuke!" Naruto screamed, moving as fast as he could to get himself between Sasuke and the floor. He succeeded; Sasuke's thin body toppled on top of Naruto's.**_

"_**God, Sasuke, get up," Naruto groaned. "You're freaking skinny, but...get up."**_

"_**Shut up," he muttered. "Just push me off." **_

"_**Why can't you get up?" Naruto complained, but obliged roughly.**_

"_**You idiot..." Sasuke whispered breathily, sprawled out unevenly on his carpeted floor. "I can't move my legs."**_

"Yes, _Mother_," Sasuke rolled his eyes from below Naruto.

Azure eyes shimmered melancholically. Sasuke sat in front of him in that horrid wheelchair, clothed in a black windbreaker, dark jeans, and charcoal gloves. A small, wrapped box lay on his lap, which had a blanket lying over it to help his legs retain heat.

_I'm still not used to seeing him like this...With someone as egotistical as Sasuke, I wouldn't expect him to want to actually go out in public in a wheelchair. _

_I guess that just proves how much he wants to see Sakura-chan, huh?_

"Do you want me to wheel you over to wherever you're meeting?" Naruto asked blandly.

"I'm fine," Sasuke narrowed his dark eyes. "However, I don't know if you are. What, do you think I'm going to rape Sakura or something?"

"No!" Naruto yelled. "I think that you guys are..."

"It's nothing like that," Sasuke retorted quietly. "We're just doing something you might dislike."

"You don't need to - wait, what the hell exactly are you doing!?"

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke maneuvered his wheelchair to face the door. He reached out to open the door, welcoming the frigid air into the house, and he wheeled himself out. "Later, loser."

_I can't stop him from doing what he wants...I should just let him be, right?_

"Later," Naruto sighed wearily and shut the door. He sank to the floor and pulled his knees to his chest.

_It was just too good to be true...to think I thought he liked me too! Ha! I must be delusional or something..._

_...I need a break._

The blond sighed yet again as he looked up at the colorless ceiling. Thoughts rushed through his head, although he attempted to clear them.

_**Naruto's world came crashing down on him at that point. He felt stuck in place, frozen. **_

"_**No...this isn't real...why?..."**_

"_**My legs won't hold me up anymore," Sasuke muttered, embarrassed. "We both knew this day would come."**_

"_**But, but, Sakura-chan was supposed to cure you before this!" Naruto cried, shaking.**_

"_**You don't get it, do you? It's not as simple as you think! This type of research takes years to get any information from! You honestly think I'm going to live? I'm not, and I'm going to die like this on a bed! Why the hell don't you keep your promise and fulfill your duty as a ninja to a fallen comrade? Put him out of his suffering!" Sasuke started to yell, his temper rising.**_

"_**But...it's still not too late! I refuse to kill you until you really are dying!"**_

"_**I am dying!" Sasuke growled. "You just refuse to see it! You're still living in that naive little world of yours. Until you face the truth, you can't do anything for me at all."**_

_Sasuke told me before that I needed to accept that he's dying, but I can't do that! His disease is causing him to slowly lose his life, but he's not dying! He will die one day, but he'll get cured before he dies of spino- whatever. Sakura-chan promised me that!_

Naruto exhaled deeply and stood up on his own two feet.

_I'm strong enough to carry on, even if Sasuke is losing everything, even if I can never be a part of his life personally. I'll just stay here for him; I'll take care of him, and I'll be happy doing that! I can't be like this forever! I need to be strong for the two of us!_

So, Naruto carried on with his day, despite being alone. Hours passed. Morning turned into night. The snow had cleared up; Konoha was never one to get too much snow. It was raining quietly outside, simply sprinkling clear droplets on the ground. Despite what people thought, Naruto loved rain more than the sun. Rain is the symbol of life; nothing can grow without it. Whenever there is rain, Naruto grins. It's like another life is being born.

"_**Hold on," Naruto stood. "I'll be right back."**_

_**The blond exited the room and rushed through the hallway, nearly colliding with something metal. He rubbed his eyes, only to see that what he almost hit was the wheelchair, presents sitting on it's seat. Naruto put the presents on the floor and ran back to Sasuke, attempting to not crash into anything while holding the chair.**_

"_**I got it!" Naruto smiled falsely, setting the wheelchair in front of Sasuke.**_

"_**And you expect me to sit in that thing?" Sasuke rolled his eyes. He had pulled himself up into a sitting position while his comrade was gone.**_

"_**YUP!" Naruto picked Sasuke up, bridal style, and sat him in the wheelchair.**_

"_**Hn," Sasuke looked away, indignant. However, there was a vague, but clearly visible thread of happiness woven into his expression. Naruto wasn't usually the smartest, but even he could tell what this meant; Sasuke finally had some independence back. He could go where he wanted without Naruto's help.**_

"All right! Time to do some well-needed training!" Naruto punched the air. He ran outside into the night a baggy brown shirt and dark sweat pants. The rain was falling incessantly, but still lightly. The blond stretched his body, warming up his muscles. He moved on to taijutsu training. He began to do high kicks and low swing punches, fighting an invisible enemy.

The rain began to pour harder. The night sky darkened tenfold, barely shedding any light upon Konoha at all. Naruto stared up into the sky, scowling. He liked the rain, but hated storms. Storms were ominous, the sign of something good going bad.

"Sasuke still isn't back yet," Naruto murmured. "He's been gone for like, twelve hours or something. Wonder what he and Sakura-chan are doing..."

"Naruto!" a girl called out, huffing.

Naruto turned around to find Sakura running up to him, a rosette umbrella in hand. "Hey, Naruto! Sasuke-kun told you that we were planning on doing something today, right? I'm so sorry I'm late, especially since I haven't seen you guys since last month! I know I should have been here this morning instead of nearly nine at night, but I got held up on a mission, and I couldn't get here any sooner!"

"...You just got here?" Naruto's mouth dropped.

"Yes, I know, I'm so sorry, it's like I stood Sasuke-kun up! We were supposed to meet at the bench where we first spoke to each other after becoming genin! Can I come in and tell him I'm sorry? We can do what he wanted to do tomorrow, and...Naruto, why are you staring at me so incredulously?"

"Sakura-chan," Naruto inhaled deeply. "Sasuke hasn't come back since he left to meet you."

The umbrella slipped from Sakura's grasp, colliding with the ground. Sea foam met cerulean, and neither of them said a word.

"Sasuke-kun is..." Sakura whispered, "gone?"

Naruto nodded, completely stupefied in place. Everything seemed to be in slow motion; the droplets were suspended in air, nothing moving.

"When did he leave?"

"Maybe eight thirty. He got up really early today..."

"Crap, Naruto, we have to go look for him!" Sakura picked her umbrella up. "I can't pick up a chakra signal from him! It's not like I've tried recently, so maybe he just can no longer manipulate chakra, but it could mean...it could mean..."

An electric shock ran through the genin's body, and a flame burst within his eyes. "We need to find him, Sakura-chan! I'm coming!"

The duo ran through the dark village, soaked with rain. Thunder crashed in the night and lightning lit up the sky. They dashed to the meeting place, their footsteps echoing off the stone path. The streetlights suddenly flickered and died; the power had gone out.

"SASUKE!" Naruto howled.

When they came to the bench, they found no trace of human presence. Naruto swore loudly and faced Sakura. "Where were you guys planning on going from here?"

"We were going to my place, and then stop by the hospital on the way back for some testing and injections," the chuunin explained.

"While we look or him," Naruto stared at her fiercely, "you're going to tell me what you two are doing. Are you guys dating?"

"Naruto," Sakura eyed him. "I don't want to talk about it right now. I'm uncomfortable about it myself, but I'm the one who suggested doing it. I have no regrets about this. I'll tell you though that we're not dating. I'd never betray you like that. Besides, dating me is the last thing he'd ever want to do."

"All right," Naruto turned away. "I won't pry, but promise that you'll tell me, okay?"

_Thank you, Sakura-chan._

"I promise!" Sakura grinned, heading off. "Let's split up! You take this side of Konoha up to the bridge on the stream, and I'll take the other half from there! Release a burst of chakra if you find him. I'll check the hospital since I have special access as a med-nin. Got it?"

"Wait!" Naruto yelled. When Sakura stopped in her tracks and raised a brow, he looked down at the ground. "Just so you know...Sasuke's in a wheelchair now."

Sakura's eyes widened in horror. "Sasuke-kun...no...Why does it have to be like this? I knew it would come to this, but..."

Naruto took off, leaving Sakura alone in shock. He raced through the area, running through all the main roads while only checking the side streets briefly. Thunder boomed in the darkness, leaving it up to Naruto's keen senses to try and find his best friend. The lightning that flashed every do often was the only source of illumination in the thick shadows.

_Oh God, Sasuke, please be okay!_

Time passed, and the hours seemed to all merge together. Before Naruto knew it, it was almost midnight.

"Dammit," he swore, walking tiredly by the outskirts of Konoha. "Konoha's huge, but how long does it take to find a person? Sakura-chan's chakra hasn't acted up either...If he's on the move, that may be why we haven't found him." Naruto strolled lightly through one of the rarely used roads in Konoha, sighing deeply. "He can't be this hard to find..."

The sound of bone repeatedly smashing against metal resounded nearby. A large _crack_ accompanied it sickly.

"Sasuke!?" Naruto yelled, bursting ahead at full speed, only to stop in his tracks. Through the pitch black he could make out a busted and trashed wheelchair right in front of him, not a trace of a body in sight. Pieces of split metal littered the area.

The disturbing sound in the distance suddenly stopped.

Naruto released his chakra wildly, indicating Sakura to come. "Sasuke, where the hell did you go?!"

Suddenly, the streetlights flickered and glowed brightly in the night, blinding Naruto. Up far ahead was Sasuke lying on the ground, a small amount of blood splattered around him.

"SASUKE!" the blond hurried forward to his side, collapsing on his knees. He grabbed his tiny shoulders and shook them fiercely, knocking his head around. "Sasuke, wake up, wake up!"

"Naruto, stop it!" Sakura screamed. In a flash, she was by Naruto's side examining Sasuke. His skin was tinted slightly blue from cold, and his eyes remained closed.

"It's funny," Naruto whispered. "With the rain, it looks like he's crying for everything he can't cry for when he's awake. I've never seen him cry, no matter what has happened..."

"He's been out of it for a while," Sakura concluded. "He has some damage to the back of his head, so we should take him to the hospital. His arm looks busted too. It looks like he fell out of the wheelchair and was crawling, so maybe we sh-"

Sasuke's body suddenly tensed in front of them, his hands curling into balls.

"Move away from him, Naruto," Sakura commanded, putting an arm in front of him as if to protect him.

Sasuke convulsed violently, his back curving almost unnaturally into an arch. He rolled over, stretching his body out as his body shook rapidly. His eyelids opened, only to reveal the whites of his eyes. Blood trailed out of his pale mouth, contrasting deeply. His legs kicked out, jerking his arms outwards. With one last jolt, Sasuke's body finally collapsed in a heap.

Sakura immediately took action. She focused her hands on his damaged arm, releasing healing chakra into it. Sasuke's unconscious face twitched vaguely.

"Sakura, I think he was seizing before we found him too. I heard the sound of something cracking and smashing against something repeatedly on the way here." Naruto informed the medial ninja. "How did he get all the way over here anyway?"

"We have to get him to a hospital, but I want to do first aid before that. I need to make sure he doesn't get hypothermia from being out here for who knows how long," Sakura bit her lip, moving her hands to the back of Sasuke's head. "I mean, he only has a soaking windbreaker in the February rain. At least it isn't snow, but still...This is all my fault; if only I had gotten here in time, Sasuke-kun wouldn't be - "

"Save it, Sakura-chan," Naruto patted her shoulder. "It's not your fault. It's nobody's fault. We just need to figure out how he even got all the way over here, so hang in there!"

Sasuke stirred between them, his lips moving, but his voice barely audible.

"Ugh...nii...ta...venge..."

"Sasuke?" Naruto whispered.

Onyx eyes opened wildly, fear and anxiety reflecting within the orbs. "Nii-san? Nii-san? Where are you?"

Naruto's mouth curved into a perfect O at Sasuke's behavior.

_What's wrong with him?_

"Sasuke, it's me and Sakura-chan!" Naruto laughed nervously. "You know, your friends!"

"Sasuke-kun, it's Sakura," Sakura spoke slowly. "Are you okay?"

"Itachu!" He tried to scream, but a cough ripped from his throat instead as he sat up. "I'm going to kill you!" His left hand, the unbroken one, went for Sakura's throat, but his weak grip barely even left a mark on her.

"He's severely disoriented," Sakura whispered, her eyes averting towards Naruto. "Just let him ride it out, and don't touch him. Help him know calmly that things are okay."

"Sasuke, it's Naruto!" Naruto yelled. "Itachi's not here! Snap out of it!"

"Calmly..." Sakura narrowed her eyes. "But what can you expect from Naruto, the loudmouth?"

"Why can't I kill you? Why am I so weak?" Sasuke cried out, letting his hand fall from Sakura's neck.

"It's all right Sasuke-kun. It's okay," Sakura reassured. "He's not here, so there's no need to do this."

"Nii-san," his eyes watered, a childlike expression in his eyes. He shrank back from his comrades, wincing in pain. "Why did you kill them? Why? Mother and Father...they..."

Abruptly, his eyes shut to a close, and his body fell back to the Earth.

"Sasuke!" Naruto caught Sasuke before he made contact with the ground. He swung him up gently into his arms and stood. "Sakura-chan, we have to go!"

"Right!" the chuunin nodded and took off towards the hospital. "I'll go on ahead and warn Tsunade-sama. Bring him as quickly as you can!"

Naruto's eyes glistened with grief as he hurried behind Sakura. He held Sasuke's broken body close to his chest in an attempt to give him warmth. The unconscious body shivered involuntarily in the cold.

"Na...ru...to." he whispered.

"Sasuke, it's okay. We're here for you," Naruto smiled, a piece of happiness finding its way to his heart.

"What happened?" he groaned, trying to snuggle his way deeper into Naruto's arms.

"You tell me!" Naruto ran faster. "We found you on the ground near a trashed wheel chair with a broken arm!"

"I..." he trailed off, then said nothing more.

The blond smiled to himself.

_Sasuke..._

_No matter what happens, I'm gonna be there for you. Depend on me, okay?_

A/N: In case you are wondering, there will be NaruSasu in this story, but it needs to develop, right? It's coming really soon since this story draws to a close within the next seven or so chapters.


	12. Revelations

A/N: I think this is one of the chapters you've all been waiting for ;). It took twelve chapters to get to the -.

DISCLAIMER: Kishimoto has the rights to Naruto. If I obtained them, Naruto's ending would be some tragic disaster.

'_**Till Death Do Us Part - Revelations**_

_Beep, beep, beep..._

The all too familiar sound of the heart monitor made Naruto's heart ache. Once again he sat in an uncomfortable plastic chair by Sasuke's bedside, watching him sleep. His sun-kissed hand took Sasuke's frail white one, caressing it gently. Sasuke's left arm was wrapped in a white cast, and there were also bandages wrapped around his forehead. Naruto's mind was a complete blank; no thoughts ran through his head as he watched Sasuke's chest slowly rise and fall. A single IV drip was hooked up to his colorless arm, but nothing more.

The door behind Naruto opened silently, a tuft of pink hair visible. Sakura stepped inside carefully as to not make a sound.

"You've had a long day, Naruto," Sakura whispered. "It's one in the morning. You should go home and sleep."

Naruto shook his head. He refused to leave Sasuke's side, no matter what.

"Come on, you can't do this forever," she smiled. "He's being well taken care of. It killed me to see you do this when he was in a coma. He's only sleeping, so go home. I'll be here for him when he wakes up."

He shook his head yet again.

The chuunin sighed. "Naruto, if I tell you what happened between me and Sasuke-kun, will you promise to go home and not come back until tomorrow afternoon?"

Naruto seemed to perk up at Sakura's words and turned to stare at her. His mouth curved into a grin and he stood, leaving the room.

"Okay then," Sakura sighed, closing the door behind her and Naruto.

"So," Naruto gazed at her defiantly. "What's going on? How's he doing?"

"In here," Sakura ushered Naruto to an empty room across the hall, shutting the door. The rosette-haired girl took a seat on the prickly bed, motioning for Naruto to sit too. The blond took a seat beside her.

Sakura inhaled deeply. "His arm is only fractured, so it should be better within a few days thanks to medical ninjutsu. I healed most of the damage, but I'd like him to continue to wear the cast to make sure he doesn't damage it further. His head is a bit banged up, so he has a light concussion. When he wakes up, he might feel sick and act strangely."

"Act strangely?"

"Oh, just inappropriate emotions. He might actually show some personality!" she winked. "He might have slurred speech, seem rather slow, not understand things easily, etcetera. How's Sasuke-kun's speech normally? Has it deteriorated any? It didn't seem to be bad when I saw him, but maybe there are some sounds he can't make anymore?"

Naruto folded his arms and furrowed his eyebrows. "Well, the bastard doesn't talk a lot, so I know as well as you do. I haven't noticed anything though. If anything, he's been talking less then before, and he's quiet."

"Has he told you any changes in his condition? Has he been choking on food or drinks? Do his eyes move back and forth sometimes, or he just can't seem to control parts of his body?"

"Not that I've really noticed, but it's kind of obvious he can't control his body."

"Well, how about trouble holding his bladder? Hard time breathing? Anything out of the ordinary really. If his toes curl up randomly, if his spine seems to be bending..."

"No," Naruto sighed depressingly, "but I guess we should ask him when he wakes up."

"Some of the symptoms of a concussion are the same as SCA, so I'll have to ask him how he feels. I was looking at some of the tests Tsunade-sama took earlier today," Sakura sighed. "It turns out that he showed up here in the afternoon, and he got out a few hours later. His condition has gotten a lot worse. Maybe he has been hiding some of the symptoms from you because according to the results, he's a lot worse than before. I want to start him on therapy and change his medication."

"Are you SURE you looked at the rights ones? Sasuke's just fine!" Naruto laughed anxiously. "He's not getting worse...he can only get better."

"We can try to stabilize him so he doesn't get worse, but I doubt that we can reverse the damage," Sakura smiled melancholically. "I'm ready to tell you now about what happened. Where do you want me to start?"

"Well," Naruto scratched his head, regaining his energy. "Why does Sasuke look at you like you're everything to him? Like, the way he looked at you in the pictures we took a while ago was so out of character. Why did he do that?"

_What Sakura-chan just asked me...Are these things going to happen to him soon? No, I can't imagine that happening to anyone, especially someone as powerful as Sasuke._

_It's not true._

"Sasuke-kun...you know that he has two goals, don't you?" Sakura asked. "One is to kill his brother, but that's impossible. His other goal...is to revive his clan."

"And?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I don't get it."

"When Sasuke-kun had a bout of amnesia a while ago, he told me that his life was worth nothing. Not only could he not kill his brother, but the Uchiha clan would die out unless he had a child. How could he have a child at fifteen though? Who would want to do it with a disabled person who's going to end up bedridden and maybe die? He said he can't trust any woman with his child when he's gone. He told me that he always saw me potentially as the mother of his child because I was the only girl he trusted, but he wasn't going to make me become a teenage mother. I could tell he didn't want to tell me all this, but I was forcing him to so I could evaluate his mind and what he remembered."

"Does Sasuke like you?" Naruto questioned almost angrily. "I don't understand this!"

Sakura smiled, her eyes watering. "No, and he made that clear. He told me that he could never love me the way I wanted him to. He told me, Naruto, that there's only one person he could ever see himself with, but it would be impossible to have children with that person Naruto, he needs to love and be loved, but he's been so emotionally hurt that he's too scared to admit his feelings when there's the possibility of rejection. You need to admit your feelings to him."

_He likes me?_

_..._

_I'm so happy...but Sakura-chan..._

"So he looked at you that way and treated you so nicely because he wanted you to bear his children in the future, but because you're only fifteen, you guys went and looked for someone older for him to have sex with?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "That's so weird!"

"No, Naruto," Sakura said sternly. "The first part is right, but...I volunteered to carry his child. I told him that I wanted him to live for something, so we said we would plan to do it on New Year's, and we did, Naruto. I definitely wasn't ready for it, but I wanted to be able to do something for him."

Naruto froze, the little energy he had fading again, but his thought process returning. Sakura's words echoed back in his head, replaying themselves over and over again as if to torture what was left of his sanity.

"You had sex with Sasuke?"

_Sasuke and Sakura-chan..._

_I'm glad for Sasuke, so why am I angry? I can't be angry! It's better than if we had adopted a child together - wait, where am I going with this? This is going to far! Even if we ended up together, I would have liked Sasuke to have had a child of his own so his clan wouldn't die out! _

_I shouldn't feel like this. It's not right._

Teardrops fell from Sakura's eyes. "Not really. I didn't want to have sex for the first time with someone who doesn't love me, and he didn't want to have sex with me either, so we did it in a more...indirect way. Naruto, that's not what made me scared! It's the thought of having a child that frightens me! I never wanted to become a mother at this age! I never wanted to have to give up my job! What are my parents going to say? There are so many complications, but I can't say I regret it. I'll get through it. As long as it's Sasuke-kun's child...when he's gone, I know it'll have been the right thing to do, and -"

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto interrupted. "Are you pregnant?"

_Sasuke's kid? With Sakura?_

Sakura blushed. "That's why we were meeting yesterday. We were going to my house to take a pregnancy test so he could be there if I turned out to be pregnant. Even if he doesn't like me, we're still friends and comrades. I still don't know...Naruto, I'm scared. I know Sasuke-kun will be happy, but I don't know what I'm going to do!"

"It'll be all right, Sakura-chan," Naruto patted her shoulder, his brain overloading slowly. "You don't even know if you're pregnant. If you are, I promise that I will support you and the baby! I'll take care of him when you're working and vice versa. I'll be his surrogate father! Sasuke will always be his father, but he might not be able to take care of him...Baa-chan will understand, won't she? I'll make her understand if she doesn't!"

_If Sakura-chan is pregnant, there's no telling if Sasuke will be able to support her and their child...He can barely support himself...by the time their kid is born, he could be..._

_No, he's not going to die! I can't accept it!_

"Thank you, Naruto!" Sakura pulled the blond into a hug, crying into his shoulder. "I'm so happy that I can finally do something for Sasuke, even if it hurts me a little...I really am happy, but it's so hard..."

_They'd only do something as drastic as this if there really was no hope left..._

"Pull it together!" Naruto grinned. "You don't even know if you're pregnant yet! If you are, like I said, I'll take care of the little guy...or girl. Whatever, but just know that! And what the hell do you mean that it's the only thing you can do for him? You're working on a cure, right? That's way more than I could ever do!"

"Naruto..." Sakura pulled away, tears still falling. "You see...cures take a long time to research. I...don't have anything that can help him besides the medication that is used to soften the effects of his disease. Naruto, I've done NOTHING to help him! You...You saved him. You help him with everything, but give him the space to do what he wants. I can't let him do anything without getting scared, comforting him by saying that it's okay if he can't do things because he's sick! You simply ask him if he's okay! You treat him like a normal person, like a friend, but I can't help but treat him like someone that's dying, even though he is!"

"It's natural to do that!" Naruto reassured. "I get scared too, but I just try to let go, you know? I'm a ninja, so I can help him out quickly if he falls over! Not that that's going to happen anymore..."

"Technically," Sakura smiled through her pain. "He can still walk. It's not impossible, but it's just really difficult to do. He might fall over more often than usual or wobble when walking, but it would talk a lot of work to even walk that well. You could call it near paralysis."

"Sakura-chan," Naruto sniffed, tears coming to his eyes. "Is Sasuke going to die?"

Sakura remained silent. When he realized he wasn't going to get an answer, Naruto stared at the space between his feet. "So...there's nothing you can do?

"There's always new medicine developing, so don't lose hope," Sakura replied, "but be aware that his chances of making it out of this predicament are dire. It would be better to accept that he's dying instead of just hoping for a cure. Hope for one, but spend your days with him as if they are his last. They really are his last to do anything he truly wants to do." The medical ninja put her dainty hand inside her shorts pocket, taking out a medicine bottle. She popped the cap open and poured one a single purple pill. It was rather large, rivaling the size of round bubble gum.

"This is something I created, but it's not worth giving it to Sasuke," Sakura sighed defeatedly. "You know the diamond on Tsunade-sama's forehead?"

"Yeah!" Naruto smiled cheerfully. "So you guys found something? Why can't Sasuke at least try it?"

"Let me finish!" Sakura punched him playfully. "As I was saying, Tsunade-sama's diamond is made up of condensed healing chakra to heal her wounds. Specifically, it causes rapid mitosis in her cellular stru-"

"I don't get it," Naruto scratched his forehead stupidly. "What's mitosis?"

"Okay, I'll dumb it down for you," Sakura stuck her tongue out. "Her healthy cells multiply in order to heal her wounds, but it also causes heavy strain on her body. I was thinking, well, couldn't we potentially cause forced mitosis in Sasuke's cerebellum in order to restore everything that had atrophied? I inserted condensed healing chakra into this SPA medicine, and it has the potential to cure Sasuke-kun."

"Why the hell don't you give it to him then!?" Naruto yelled. "I'd do anything...ANYTHING to make him better!"

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura cried. "I tested it out, and it actually did work some of the time! Actually...only five percent of the time...You see, most of the time, it overproduced cells and caused fast advancing cancer, killing within minutes. If it didn't, the strain on the body was too great, and the result was still death. However, in the short time before death, the cerebellum is completely back to normal."

"So," Naruto stared at her, "it should only be used at the last minute because it could kill him as well as heal him?"

The rosette-haired girl nodded before putting the pill back in its case and placing it in Naruto's hands. "Here. You promised Sasuke-kun that you would...kill him. Use it when you think the time is right. Just crack it in half and pour its contents either in his mouth or in his food. He'll die, but be able to function correctly right before. If he doesn't die, then we cured him!"

Naruto grabbed the bottle tightly, cold sweat running down his face.

_Sasuke...don't make me use this, bastard! Get better, or..._

_You really could die._

"Well, why don't we go see Sasuke-kun now?" Sakura changed the subject. "I'm sure he'd like some company after that scare we had with him! You can just go and check up on him before going home, okay?"

"Let's go!" Naruto put on a smile, forcing himself to keep it on. The duo crossed over back to Sasuke's room, opening the door very quietly.

Sasuke was still lying on the bed, but his eyes were no longer closed. He turned at the sound of the door opening, a blank look on his face.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun," Sakura smiled soothingly. "How are you? I'm surprised you're up; did something wake you?"

"I'm...okay," he replied slowly, his eyes half closed from exhaustion. "I just have...a headache."

Naruto's cogs were whirring faster than ever, a power shortage looming in his brain. He ogled at Sasuke, noticing clearly that he was speaking even more slowly and quietly than before. His words were spaced out and almost whispered.

"Oh, that's too bad," Sakura frowned. "Anyway, do you remember what happened earlier today, rather yesterday? We were supposed to meet, but I got held back on a mission, and you went missing...We found you seizing on the ground. You're lucky you didn't hit your head too hard! You only have a concussion. By the way, I'm so sorry I was late, but I couldn't get out of a mission, and I got back really late!"

The Uchiha sighed and tried to sit up. His arms shook weakly, but he managed to prop himself up. "You stood me up," he replied steadily. "I went to your house, but nobody was home. I stopped by the hospital and left the Christmas present I never gave you there. The Hokage noticed me, so she did tests on me and injected me with medication. I went back to our meeting place, but you weren't there. I was pissed, and it was late, so I was going to go back to my house," he paused, catching his breath. "The rain was coming down hard, and my vision got blurry. I was trying to wheel my way back, but I couldn't really see anything. The last thing I remember is rolling down an incline before passing out. It's fuzzy, but I remember being in a lot of pain. I think I probably fell out of the chair onto my side, but then it went dark...Itachi's face was all I could see, and I couldn't think clearly...and then Naruto carried me here."

It took a lot longer than it should have, but Sasuke finished what he had to say. Sakura couldn't do anything but smile, taking a hold of Sasuke's unbandaged hand. "You bought me a present for Christmas? Thank you; I'll go get it later. Anyway, you passed out, presumably crashed and landed on your arm? Your wheelchair was completely busted!"

"There could have been gangsters in the area," he attempted to shrug, but it came off more as him raising his shoulders awkwardly.

Naruto searched for the right words to say, completely stuck on what to do. "You really scared me! I'm glad you're fine."

_I shouldn't bring up his situation with Sakura-chan, right? He didn't want me to know, so it might just stress him and make him worse!_

Sasuke nodded. Sakura clenched his hand to get his attention. "Hey, Sasuke-kun? I think you should stay for therapy again. You're getting worse, and we need to make sure you keep your brain stimulated to try to keep this from getting worse. We should try to increase your air capacity and work the muscles around your mouth."

He nodded again, silent.

"Hey, have you nothing anything different about your condition lately? Not holding your bladder, less control of your body, choking, anything? If you don't tell me, this will only get worse. Oh, and how does your mouth feel? Speaking slowly could just be from your concussion."

Sasuke kept a straight face, despite desperately trying to talk quickly, tripping over his words. "I'm speaking more slowly. I choke when eating food. My writing is messier than before and my arms shake when outstretched. My mouth feels tight, like the muscles are stuck. I feel like...I'm breaking."

Naruto clenched his fists angrily.

_Why the hell didn't he tell me any of this? Did he not want to worry me? Was he embarrassed?_

Sakura frowned. "Is that the case? It looks likes signs of SCA rather than your concussion, so maybe your head injury isn't as bad as I thought at least...Thanks for confiding in me! You should try to get some sleep. We've all had a long day."

"Sakura," Sasuke scowled. "I want to be left alone."

"Oh," Sakura's face fell, and she looked at Naruto. "We should leave him be. Let's go, Naruto."

"I want to be...left alone..._with Naruto_."

Naruto froze in place, suddenly feeling like he was submerged within molten lava. He felt himself become flushed, so he tried to fan himself with his hands.

The chuunin nodded, turning towards the door. "Be good while I'm gone," she grinned before disappearing on the other side of the door.

After the door clicked, the room was filled with an awkward silence. Naruto twisted his feet nervously, finally understanding what he had to do.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were getting so much worse?" Naruto demanded, taking a seat beside Sasuke on his bed. "Don't hide things like that from me! I want to help you, to understand you, so you gotta talk to me!"

"You're not my mother," he hissed. "I don't owe you anything."

"But we're _friends_," Naruto stressed. "You should have told me! It's important to me that...that you trust me."

_I have to tell him. I have to tell him how I feel._

_If he doesn't like me back, I can say that he was imagining things. It's one in the morning, so maybe he'll sleep it off! I'll tell him it was a dream! If he likes me too, then I won't deny it!_

The blond surprised the Uchiha and placed his arms around his thin frame, hugging him gently. "I love you, you bastard. I want you, and only you. I don't care if you think I'm lying, if you hate me now, or what. I love you, and there's NOTHING you can do about it."

Sasuke's body stiffened, his brain absorbing and comprehending Naruto's words. He lay his head on Naruto's shoulder and slowly lifted up his own arms shakily, finding Naruto's muscular back to hold onto.

"Naruto," his voice trembled as he slowly spoke. "My life wasn't supposed to be this way. I was supposed to grow up and avenge my clan. I was supposed to grow old, living my life as a ninja until the day I grew too old to be one. I was supposed to see the world change around me, see my children grow up to be strong, see you grow up to be Hokage. Naruto...I'm going to die! I'm already living like an old man in a wheelchair, barely able to do anything myself, my body not responding to what I want it to do!"

"It's okay, Sasuke," Naruto soothed, rubbing the other teen's back. "I'm here for you. I'm going to make sure that we live everyday to the fullest, and even if there comes a day that you can't do anything anymore, I'll still love you and care for you. I want you to be there when I become Hokage! I want you to stand beside me when I walk through those doors to face the citizens of Konoha as their leader!"

_Sakura-chan said he would act weird, and she was right! Sasuke would never cry in front of me or show any weakness! I hope he's not embarrassed later for finally opening up to me._

Sasuke's back tightened more, his bony hands grabbing at Naruto's shirt. "I can't do this anymore...why me? Why do I have this? Why not someone else? Naruto...I tried to get Sakura pregnant. My life is useless enough as it is, but to have it have been a waste...I wanted to at least have the Uchiha clan live on, but I've ruined her life. She's only fifteen, and doing that was wrong...I'm selfish, greedy, and useless."

He spoke his words slowly, saying one sound at a time. Naruto felt his eyes water both at the sound of his beautiful voice so exhausted and weak, and the words he spoke.

"Naruto," Sasuke buried his head in Naruto's shoulder, his voice straining. "I'm such a burden to you and this village. What's the point of this? I thought maybe I could just die alone, but now you love me...? How am I supposed to leave satisfied now that someone actually cares for me? It's so pathe-"

Naruto pushed Sasuke back, grabbing onto his shoulders. They stared each other in the eyes. Sasuke's black vortexes were watering with salty tears, his moist lips quivering.

"Shut up," Naruto smirked, bringing his face to Sasuke's.

He pressed his chapped lips against the other boy's, almost feeling the sadness and anger that was a part of Sasuke's every fiber. Sasuke's eyes were wide in surprise, and he felt tears run down his cheeks. Naruto could taste the saltiness, and that brought his own diamonds pouring out from his sapphire orbs. A rush of bittersweet happiness ran through Naruto's heart as he kissed the Uchiha, although Sasuke wasn't kissing back. He pulled back at the lack of reaction, only to have his heart break at the sight of Sasuke's crying face.

Sasuke's pale face was streaked with tears, his eyes now bloodshot. He looked significantly older, as if he had seen too many things and couldn't handle anymore.

"I don't know how to say 'I love you' to someone," he sobbed, burying his head in Naruto's chest. Naruto sighed, tears streaming down his own cheeks. He ruffled Sasuke's hair, trying his best to stay strong at the sight of the strongest person he ever knew crying. He wrapped his arms around the now smaller boy and held the back of his head, his own tears falling on Sasuke's head.

When Sasuke stopped weeping, he remained still in Naruto's grip. Naruto bit his lip and lay the sickly teenager down in bed, smiling at the sight of his tear streaked, but beautiful, sleeping face. He felt a bout of fatigue himself and moved Sasuke form the middle to the left of the bed, falling asleep beside him. He embraced the sleeping Sasuke, and they remained that way for the rest of the night.

_Thank you...Sasuke._

A/N: When I was thinking of a **potential **cure for Sasuke, I remembered Tsunade's rapid mitosis (cell division). Well, something like that existing in the ninjaverse could cure Sasuke, right? But in the human world, that could potentially cause cancer (cancer is uncontrollable mitosis). Also, it causes a lot of strain on Tsunade's body, so if it caused that much on a weak and deteriorating body...Until next chapter: Downfall.


	13. Downfall

A/N: Sasuke's speech is written clearly when he's around Naruto because Naruto's the only one really trying to hear him. When he's around other people, I have it just as an incoherent mess because that's how people hear it.

Beware the light amount of swearing in this chapter. Not enough to make you uncomfortable, but it's there.

Edited August 25, 2012.

DISCLAIMER: Naruto is not owned by me.

'_**Till Death Do Us Part - Downfall**_

"_Come on, Naruto, hurry up!"_

"_I'm coming!" I yelled, throwing my clothes on and running down the hallway._

_Sasuke was waiting for me by the door, an amused smirk on his face. His skin glowed a healthy color, his body fully chiseled and hard. Wearing only a tank top and shorts, he made me want him even more, and I thought that was impossible. The way he stood there, too cool for anyone, yet a hidden kindness underneath that he never shows to anyone but me. Hell, he rarely even shows it to me, but when he does, it's beautiful._

"_Let's go," his mouth twitched, almost smiling. He reached out for my hand, and I_

"Oh, look who we have here!"

The blond teenager stirred, the sound of a familiar voice awakening him from his slumber. His azure eyes opened to see a Godly face inches from his own sleeping peacefully. Naruto felt like he couldn't breathe; his oxygen died out on him as he stared into the face of an angel.

"Naruto, you were supposed to go home last night, not sleep with your boyfriend in the hospital!" Sakura whacked him on the head with her folder.

Naruto screamed. "OW! Don't hit me, Sakura-chan!" He gazed up at her face, analyzing her. Her eyes reflected a certain sadness about them, but she seemed to be in a good mood. His eyes flickered to a chain on her creamy neck. A silver chain adorning a small silver paper fan hung from her neck. Rubies sat in place on the top of the fan, sapphires covering the bottom half. It was the crest of the Uchiha.

"Where did you get that?" Naruto pointed rudely.

Sakura blushed, clutching the necklace. "It's Sasuke's Christmas present to me. It's a locket." She opened it to show off the picture of her and Sasuke together in the hospital.

Naruto's eyes lit up with sorrow, quickly reverting back to joy. "That's so cool! Hey, he better have bought me a present! Where is it!?"

_He doesn't love her._

_No, he nearly confessed to me last night, but was too broken to really do so. He loves me. He told me that he doesn't like Sakura-chan. That necklace is just for her willing to carry Sasuke's child, a thank you gift, maybe a friendship gift._

_Right?_

"Shut up...idiot," Sasuke's words were slow and quiet, but harsh. His eyes opened, the dark pools sucking Naruto in.

Naruto felt himself crumble a little; it wasn't Sasuke's words, but his deteriorating speech rate that depressed him.

_So it was just a dream..._

_I haven't really accepted what's happening, have I?_

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura grinned. "I'm sure you slept well considering you had Naruto here to keep you company!"

The Uchiha's face glowed a light shade of pink. An incomprehensible slur of words came out of his mouth, sounding almost nasal in tune.

Naruto felt a coldness run through his soul. Sasuke's words were becoming more incoherent. Whatever he had said had been breathy, as if he could no longer produce the sounds properly.

"What?" Sakura asked. "I'm sorry, I didn't understand you."

A flash of fear ran through his coal eyes as he realized that his speech wasn't understandable. He attempted to say it again, but it came out fumbled and unclear. Naruto closed his eyes and tried to really hear what he had to say, finally coming up with an answer.

"He said, 'not really' Sakura-chan," Naruto raised an eyebrow, sitting up in bed. "Couldn't you understand him?"

_I have to make him feel better about himself! The bastard is such a perfectionist; who knows what he'll try to do if his ego gets busted too much! I just want him to live a little bit..._

"Oh, right!" Sakura smiled. "Hey, how about I get you some breakfast, and then maybe we can go through some therapy? I understand that you have a concussion, but it's not severe, and I'd like to get started as soon as we can on this."

"Do I get breakfast too?" Naruto asked eagerly. A monster roared inside his stomach, and he placed his warm hand on his belly gently.

"Naruto, you're not even supposed to be here," the chuunin stuck her tongue out as she put her folder onto the plastic chair, "but considering you're already here, I'll pick you up something."

"Thank, Sakura-chan!" he grinned, waving as she left through the door. He turned his head to gaze down at the body beside him, bony and sickly. "Hey, Sasuke, I thought you were a deep sleeper! You're rarely up before me in the morning, so why'd up wake up now?"

"It's hard to sleep with an idiot yelling in my ear," he smirked arrogantly, despite the slow pace and somewhat unclearness of his speech.

"At least I'm not a bastard!" Naruto grinned. "Hey, do you remember what happened last night, you know, between you and me?"

"Of course; being sick doesn't make me stupid," the ill teenager replied seriously. "I can't understand why you'd go so far for me, even if you love me."

"So, our feelings are mutual?" Naruto whispered in Sasuke's ear, feeling the goosebumps rising on Sasuke's cool skin.

The Uchiha turned away. "Why are you doing this? It's more painful when you're leaving someone you love behind! This will only make it hurt more."

"That doesn't matter!" Naruto grinned. "As long as you're alive, I'll be with you. Even with all these changes in your world, even though your body isn't doing what you want it to, I'm always going to be here! I just want to know if you love me too because I'm not going to be here just until the end; I'm going to be here for you ALWAYS."

Sasuke smirked, but didn't reply.

"Come on, say something, emo bastard!" Naruto whined, pulling on Sasuke's shoulder. "It's not like you ever say anything, but SAY SOMETHING!"

"Get used to it," he retorted steadily. "I've already realized that I can't say any of the higher pitched sounds anymore. The m, w, and n syllables give me a hard enough time to say."

"The food's here," Sakura stuck her head in, creaking the door open. She stepped in with two large trays containing two bowls of cereal. She balanced them gracefully in each hand, a smile adorning her face. "You don't have to worry about your medication, Sasuke-kun. Your IV is taking care of all that."

Sasuke nodded while Naruto cried out with joy. The medical ninja set down the trays on their laps and took a seat in a chair. "Okay, so this is the plan for today. When you guys are done eating, I want to show you both the results of Sasuke's latest test. We'll do some speech therapy here, and then we'll go to the rehabilitation room for some physical therapy. I want Sasuke-kun to be here three days per week for a couple of hours each day of rehabilitation. If all is fine, you might be able to go home really soon!"

"Sakura," Sasuke pronounced each syllable carefully. "Can we go check to see if you're..."

Sakura nodded, stagnant fear settling in her eyes. "Yeah, sure. Did you want to do that after your speech therapy? Maybe we can all go out for lunch and then come back for physical therapy...You know, maybe take a break from all this stress!"

Naruto looked down at his food, taking his spoon and dunking it into the bowl. He brought the cereal and milk filled spoon to his lips, sticking his tongue into it right before taking it in. He swished it around in his mouth, contemplating the taste. "Sakura-chan, this cereal is disgusting," he finally said.

"Well, sorry for actually being nice enough to give you breakfast when I'm only supposed to serve patients." Sakura threw him a dirty look.

Sasuke noticed his own spoon and scowled. It was a large spoon with a hard rubber handle for easy gripping. He fumbled with it in his hand before grabbing it properly, his arm shaking as he struggled to put the spoon in his mouth. He finally managed to while careful with the way he swallowed to avoid choking. Naruto stared sadly, finishing his breakfast without another complaint.

_At least I can actually eat my food without problems, even if it's disgusting._

_I wish things could go back to the way they used to be._

It took forty minutes before Sasuke finally finished eating. Naruto and Sakura talked the whole time to fill the silence, trying their hardest to smile. Sasuke lay back down, a hard expression covering his slight visage.

"Okay, I want to show you both the results," Sakura inhaled deeply, pulling out a sheet of paper from her folder. Naruto leaned towards Sakura as Sasuke struggled to sit up. The pink haired girl displayed to them a line graph. A single line started from near the top of the graph, slowly falling down. It took a slight plunge, but then steadily decreased again. The end of the line plunged even deeper than the other line, almost becoming a straight vertical line.

"These are your recorded results from your past tests," Sakura explained. "You were near full function at the beginning, but your stroke made it go down a little. You were fine for a long time after that, but recently...it has progressed into the next stage. We need to do more therapy than ever to try to stop this from progressing. I think I should try to change your medication as well. You should also be very careful to not get sick because it could result in complications. I want to keep you here for at least another day to make sure you don't get sick from being out in the rain last night and be able to help you as quickly as I can if you do get sick. If you get a cold, it could turn into pneumonia."

"I don't want...medicine anymore," Sasuke's eyes were solemn, but determined.

Naruto's eyes widened. He flipped himself around and took Sasuke by the shoulders, shaking him wildly. "Are you crazy!? You'll get so much worse if you do that! Do you WANT to die?!"

"Naruto, be careful with Sasuke-kun," Sakura scolded. "Sasuke-kun, that's not a good idea. Why would you want to do that?"

"I," Sasuke breathed, struggling to pronounce everything clearly, "am tired of trying to get away from this disease when it's impossible," he paused, inhaling deeply. "I want to confront it head on, and I want to deal with it. Slowing it down will only make it more painful."

"You'll be very uncomfortable if you do that. Your body is going to become stiff and paralyzed quickly if you take yourself off of it. Are you sure?" Sakura asked nervously. "Your vocal cords aren't moving as well as they used to, and the muscles around your mouth are stiff too. This is NOT a good idea, but I can't stop you. Sasuke-kun, please don't do this!"

Naruto screamed. "Bastard! You're just giving what you have left up if you do that! I won't let you!"

_No, Sasuke, don't...Don't die on me! Don't speed up your pain, and stop being such a masochist!_

"Are you saying this for me" Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "or for yourself?"

Naruto's eyes became large and round, and his jaw dropped.

"I...I..."

_...I'm the one who doesn't want to see him like this, but he has his own reasons. I'm just too scared because I know it's going to happen, but I refuse to believe it! I just can't, but he's making me face reality!_

_I can't do this to him. I don't want to kill him, so I broke the only promise we ever really made. If I don't give him some freedom, he'll..._

"I just don't want you to be in pain!" Sakura cried. "I don't want to see you struggle, knowing that you're suffering..."

"But it's my own choice," Sasuke pointed out.

"Fine," Naruto grumbled, pulling away. It's your life, you bastard, but I DO NOT approve of this. I'm going to sneak your meds into food when I can, and then-"

"Naruto, give Sasuke-kun some control over his life already!" Sakura sighed. "As soon as your IV gets taken out, no more medication for you. Are you still going to take it for epilepsy?"

Sasuke nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. Naruto smiled, calming down; just seeing Sasuke as far as he could be from sour was good enough for him.

"Since you got worse so quickly, I'm ordering a motorized wheelchair for you, and it's on me," Sakura mentioned. "Anyway, I want you to read this passage." She took out another paper from her folder and handed it to Sasuke. "Please read it out loud."

Sasuke took the paper with shaking hands, scanning it quickly.

"The...dog ran...across the...street," he struggled, his speech rate hopelessly slow. "to -eet his owner." His missing sound was replaced by his exhaling breath. "His ow-er walked -ck to his home with his pet. He was -ppy."

Naruto felt his skin get goosebumps as he listened to Sasuke. His voice sounded so broken, cracking in random spots, his pitch going up when it shouldn't, and his words so airy and incomplete.

"Okay, can we stop there?" Sakura interrupted, her voice trembling. "That's enough. Let's move on to something else. Please pronounce the kana syllabary (1) as clearly as you can."

Sasuke swallowed, shifting uneasily in the hospital bed. "A, I, U , E, O," he managed perfectly. "Ka, ki, ku, ke, ko," came out more nasal, sounding slightly strange. "Sa, shi, su, se, so, ta, chi, tsu, te, to."

"You're doing well so far," Sakura whispered tearily.

Naruto nudged his sort-of-boyfriend. "Keep going!"

Sasuke continued, managing to say most of the kana. "Ma," he cracked, attempting to speak. "Mi, mmmmu, -e, mo." He finally made it to the end, whispering, "wa, wo."

"Okay, Sasuke-kun, recite PATAKA over and over," Sakura said robotically, jotting notes down.

"Pataka, pataka, pa-ta-ka, pa-ta-ka, paa-taa-kaa-pa-a," he coughed, a disgruntled expression on his face.

"Okay, Sasuke-kun," Sakura concluded tearfully. "Your ability to pronounce high pitched sounds normally is decreasing, but you're pronouncing lower pitched sounds higher than they should be. Your speech rate and pause rate have deteriorated and slowed down. Your words are more spaced out and lengthened. You're doing well considering everything that has just happened, but this will seem a lot worse once you get off your medication. Please, don't quit it," she begged, undignified, but continued on after grabbing the food trays from the boys' laps. "Practice speaking whenever you can. Naruto, could you help Sasuke-kun into the wheel chair in the corner? I'll be waiting by the bathrooms," Sakura quickly removed the IV from Sasuke's arm before running out of the room with the trays, the sound of her sobbing still audible behind the door.

Naruto sighed melancholically, getting out of bed. Sasuke didn't say anything, but he looked away from the blond boy. Naruto grabbed the folded up chair disdainfully, unfolding the wheelchair beside Sasuke.

The Uchiha swung his quavering legs over the edge of the bed, touching the floor. "I want to try to walk," he whispered.

"Okay," Naruto grinned. "Grab onto me if you need help!"

_He's actually trying to help himself now! Maybe if I can just push him more, he'll want to live a little more!_

Sasuke attempted to move into a standing position with his legs trembling beneath him, but felt himself teeter over. He automatically grabbed onto Naruto for support, wincing in humiliation.

"It's okay, Sasuke," Naruto ruffled Sasuke's spiky locks. "You can do this!"

Sasuke nodded and balanced his weight evenly on both legs, managing to let go of Naruto and stand by himself. A hint of warmth crept onto his face, illuminating his handsome looks even more. He lifted a pale leg in a miserable attempt to walk, but it began to tremble violently. He made an effort to place it down in front of him. His foot ended up directly in front of his right one, placing him at an odd angle. He tried to lift his right one, but he suddenly wobbled exhaustedly. His body began to fall forward.

"SASUKE!" Naruto yelled, panic evident in his voice. The genin managed to catch the other male just in time, grabbing a hold on his body. The blond moved his arms down to Sasuke's waist, holding him in a tight hug.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked. "Be more careful!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You idiot!" he scowled. "Do you really think I did that on purpose?"

"Well, no!" Naruto grinned. "Just be more careful! Hold onto me or something while walking!"

Sasuke lowered his head. "Just shut up, Naruto."

"Why?" Naruto's ears perked. "What's wrong?"

"I can't even walk anymore, and you expect me to be happy about it!?" Sasuke attempted to cry out, but his voice failed him. He coughed violently, bowling over in pain.

"Sasuke?" Naruto loosed his grip around the other male. "Are you okay?"

Sasuke grabbed at Naruto's arm, positioning himself to sit in the chair. His knuckles were whiter than usual as he lowered himself into the chair of humiliation.

"I'm fine," he replied hoarsely. "My throat's just dry."

"If you say so. Hey, we're definitely going out for lunch after this!" Naruto grinned. "Sakura-chan wanted to go a restaurant. Remember the list we made with Kakashi-sensei? We should start to do the other things on it!"

Sasuke didn't reply, but his breathing was harsh. His arms wavered as his hands reached for the wheels of his chair. He pushed himself forward, but his lack of strength didn't get him very far. Naruto grabbed the bars on the back of the wheelchair and pushed Sasuke, not bothering to ask if he wanted the help or not.

"I could have pushed myself," the pale skinned teenager folded his arms.

"You have to learn to ask for help!" Naruto lectured. "It's not like we mind. It's good if you ask for help because it means you accept yourself for who you are!"

"Just like you accept what's happening to me, right?" Sasuke retorted passively. "You help me because part of you sees the truth, but you won't accept it. That is only hurting both you...and me."

Naruto froze, pausing right outside the door.

_He's right. I know it's happening, but I just can't believe it. It hurts me like hell to see him like this! It's hurting him too obviously, but is the fact that I don't believe it really hurting him too?_

"Why would me being in 'denial' hurt you?" Naruto laughed hollowly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Because when reality smacks you in the face, realization will be painful for you, and it's disturbing when you're not happy."

Naruto willed his feet to move, but he remained in place. His tongue seemed numb, and a part of him cracked, shattering at the bottom of his heart. His tanned hands grabbed the handles of the wheelchair tighter, and he somehow got his legs to move forward.

"Maybe you're right," Naruto sighed, "but can't I hope for something?"

"Don't get stuck in an illusion," the creamy skinned male huffed. "It's pointless. I just want to try to do whatever I can by myself. I need to be able to do something with my life."

"You're right, but don't overdo it!" Naruto lectured. "You have friends, and you have me. Sasuke...what are we? Are we dating? Are we still just friends...? I need to know!"

"Naruto, I-"

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, Naruto!" Sakura grinned. The two had made it to outside the bathrooms without realizing it, and now Sakura was there waiting for them. "You guys took forever! I already went to see Tsunade-same, drop some things off, and then come back here! I've been waiting for ten minutes!"

"Are you ready?" Naruto asked, changing the subject. The time it took for Sasuke to speak is what slowed them down so much, but he didn't want to bring it up.

"I'll see you guys when I come out," Sakura nodded, her hand in her pocket. She inhaled deeply and pushed the door open, going to meet her destiny.

"Sakura's life could be changed forever," Naruto thought out loud. "All three of us will help take care of her child if she really is pregnant, right?!"

Sasuke nodded shakily, becoming anxious. "Naruto...if she's pregnant, it'll be one of the only things in my life that has gone right. I won't be able to take care of him, hell, I might not even be here to see him be born, but...the Uchiha clan will continue."

"Don't say that!" Naruto yelled, turning to face Sasuke below him. "You've only had this for maybe two years, and it may have advanced a bit with the stroke, but you still have a lot of time left to live!"

"Why should I bother living when I can't do anything?" Sasuke replied sluggishly, bitter.

"Sasuke," Naruto crouched down beside the Uchiha. "You should live because I LOVE you. It might be painful, but...don't give up. I swear, we'll get through this together! I know, I have to kill you, but I'll do it when the time's right! Stay with me, Sasuke! Isn't that enough?"

Sasuke leaned towards Naruto, resting his head on the blond's chest. "Maybe."

"Sasuke, I'll stay with you until the end. No, I'll stay with you forever! Count on me, and live on with me! I don't care how long it takes you to walk if you want to walk. I'll walk beside you. I don't care how long it takes you to talk or how hard it is to understand you! I'll listen to you, and I'll do my best to understand what you're saying! Sasuke, I love you, and that's all that matters right now! Do you understand me or not now, bastard!?"

"I do and I...I lo-"

The door creaked open quietly, and a pale Sakura walked out of the bathroom. Her sea foam eyes were wide, and her hands were shaking a little.

"What does it say!?" Naruto stood back up. "What's going on!?"

"Sasuke-kun," tears sprang from the young teen's eyes.

"I'm pregnant."

Naruto felt a strange warmth burst inside of him. Sakura fell to her knees while holding her stomach protectively, sobbing weakly.

"Sakura, that's awesome!" Naruto dashed forward, putting his arms around her. "You're going to be just fine, and then we'll raise him together, and then -"

_This is so awesome, I guess! I bet Sasuke's happy now!_

"Sa-ku-ra," Sasuke choked out. "Thank you."

His sickly face had some color in it for once, and his eyes sparkled with life. His mouth twitched involuntarily, trying to smile for once. He had his hands folded in his lap, and a sudden paternal look shone in his obsidian orbs.

Naruto helped Sakura back to her feet, and she smiled weakly. "Sasuke-kun, I..."

"Isn't this great, Sasuke?" Naruto beamed. "We'll all raise him together, and then it'll be super awesome, and-"

"Name him -ioku."

"Pardon?" Sakura sniffed, crouching to see Sasuke eye-to eye.

Sasuke swallowed before trying again. "Name him Mioku."

Naruto scowled. "You can name him when Sakura-chan gives birth! Don't tell us to do that when you'll still be around! You bas-"

"We will!" Sakura nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Mioku...That means 'beautiful memory.'" She clasped his bony hand. "Naruto and I will take care of him!"

"Sakura-chan, why are you talking like he won't last nine months!?" Naruto whined. "Sasuke is going to live for a lot longer than that!"

"You never know," she replied. "If he's not going to take his medication, he'll get worse, and he could just get sick and the complications could..."

"That WON'T happen!" Naruto yelled.

No, I don't want to hear it! Sasuke won't die...He can't die!

"Naruto, grow up and be a man! Even Tsunade-sama has given up! You're the only one who still hasn't accepted it! Grow up and accept that Sasuke-kun is dying!" Sakura cried. "You're only making it harder on all of us..."

Sasuke didn't add anything, but he turned away listlessly.

Naruto gulped, once again paralyzed. Sakura was right; he couldn't deny that the aching in his chest never went away, and nobody ever seemed to be happy anymore.

"Let's just go out for lunch," Sakura sighed. "I know it's a little early for that, but it may take a while to find a restaurant that has wheelchair access right now. It's best to get moving now. We need to celebrate!"

Naruto nodded, taking a hold the handles on Sasuke's wheelchair. His body was on autopilot; he couldn't even think straight. Naruto pushed Sasuke out of the hospital, Sakura tagging beside him. She made idle chit chat when they made it outside, but neither boy responded.

"What time is it?" Sasuke asked, noticing that the sun was high in the sky.

"Hm, maybe noon?" Sakura wondered. "You both got up late, so it would make sense..."

"I can't go out," Sasuke's face paled. "Not like this."

"Nobody cares!" Naruto attempted to comfort him. "I mean, why would they?"

"Because I'm the last Uchiha," Sasuke retorted. "They'll see that the last of the clan is a failure. I can't walk anymore or even talk properly. I can't."

"Who cares what they think?" Naruto looked down at the frightened Uchiha. "You're still alive. You're human. They can't deny you anything, even if you're not a ninja anymore, even if you can't walk, even if you don't talk as well as they do! You're still you, so don't bother feeling like that! If they don't like you anymore, well, they never even knew you in the first place. Sakura-chan and I are still here for you, aren't we? That's what matters!"

Sasuke didn't reply, but he bowed his head in humiliation. Naruto simply sighed and pushed Sasuke through the exit of the yard, making it to the bustling streets of the village.

"Why don't we go that way?" Sakura pointed. "There's a restaurant right there!"

"What kind of food does it have?" Naruto pushed Sasuke toward the left to the restaurant in sight.

"I don't know, but I heard that it's great!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Hey, is that the Uchiha brat? I heard that he got sick, but I guess he really is disabled..."

Naruto's ears perked up at the sound of the name Uchiha, and he turned to see two women nearby whispering, pointing at Sasuke. Sasuke's hands curled into fists, but he said nothing.

"What, is he stupid or something? Did his brain explode?"

"I heard he's dying. He looks terrible! Look at how skinny he is! I guess he really was the weakest of them all."

"Maybe Itachi left him alive to show off how weak the Uchiha clan was..."

"Shut the HELL up!" Sasuke yelled breathily, only to cough harshly into his cool hands.

"What did he say?"

"He can't talk properly! What a burden, right?"

"People like him are the reason taxes go up; to take care of people that can't even do anything in return for Konoha."

"WAIT A MINUTE!" Sakura screamed. "What the hell gives you the right to say those things!?"

"YOU BITCHES!" Naruto released his grip on the wheelchair and strutted towards the three women. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!? YOU DO NOT SAY THINGS LIKE THAT ABOUT SASUKE!"

"Oh, well, sorry," the tallest of them rolled her eyes. "Motoko and I were just stating the truth."

"Yeah, why don't you go run along now and help your disabled little friend?" the overweight Motoko sneered. "He looks like he's about to cry, doesn't he, Kaneko?"

"You BITCH!" Sakura grabbed Kaneko by the neck. "YOU TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID RIGHT NOW!"

"No need to get violent," Kaneko replied smoothly. "It's not our fault that he's so useless."

"DON'T SCREW WITH US!" the infuriated genin grabbed Motoko by the neck of her kimono. "WHY DON'T YOU MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS?!"

"It is our business if he's going to go parading all over Konoha like that!" Kaneko scoffed. "What an embarrassment to the village!"

"WHY, YOU..."

"Naruto, stop it! I'll handle this!" Sakura yelled. "You're going to..."

Naruto suddenly felt hot, boiling to the touch. His fingernails grew into claws, and his eye teeth grew pointier than before. His beautiful cerulean crystals transformed into angry crimson ones, reflecting all of the anger and guilt he carried within him.

"You screwed up bitch! I swear, I am going to-"

"Calm down, Naruto!" the medical ninja yelled. "You're going to become possessed!"

"How pathetic!" Motoko laughed. "So that kid's only friends are a girl with freakishly colored hair and the poor jinchuuriki outcast! Man, I'd want to die if I were him!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT SASUKE!" Naruto boomed, tossing Kaneko aside with ease. The ignorant woman hit the ground with a bang, dust exploding around her.

"KANEKO!" Motoko yelled, still held captive by Sakura. "Let me go, you bitch!"

"Oh, so now I'M the bitch?" Sakura spat. She lifted a fist and slammed it into the woman's face, the force throwing her against one of the buildings. "Next time, try not saying things like that, and maybe I won't be one!"

By now, a crowd of people were watching the situation, whispering among one another. Sakura ran to Naruto and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him roughly. Naruto was seething, red chakra bursting from his every pore, a chakra tail hanging from his tailbone.

"Naruto, you need to calm down! You can't do this! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Naruto saw tears sparkling in the young girl's eyes, and triggered a response in his brain. Slowly, the chakra died away, and his vermillion eyes reverted back to their handsome sapphire.

"Where's Sasuke?" he looked around, searching for that beautiful boy in the wheelchair. Sakura turned around, but there was no sign of Sasuke. A large amount of people standing around them replaced his image.

"SASUKE!" Naruto yelled, pushing through the sea of bodies. He finally made it out of the circle and into the open streets. A boy pushing himself weakly in a wheelchair wasn't too far ahead of him, just past the restaurant. His tiny arms shook weakly, barely making the wheelchair advance.

"Sasuke!" Naruto ran forward and stood in front of Sasuke, making the wheelchair bound teenager stop. Sasuke's head hung low, his face hidden behind his inky bangs.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura stopped in her tracks beside the two. "Don't worry about what they said! They had no right to say those things!"

"Just shut the hell up," he mumbled. "They're right. I was barely even able to get anywhere by myself while you were busy. I shouldn't have come. The restaurant said that they don't have wheelchair access, nor do they have any in Konoha, and...I won't let you carry me into a restaurant in front of everyone. They didn't even let me try to speak. What's the point of this?"

"Don't say that!" Naruto yelled. "Come on, get yourself together!"

"Just shut up."

Sakura nodded, throwing Naruto a look that just said let-him-be. Naruto obliged knowingly, returning to his spot behind the wheelchair.

"Well, why don't we go to Ichiraku?" Sakura mentioned. "It's just up ahead."

"Great idea, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned. "Hang on tight, Sasuke, because I'm going to run!"

"Wait, Naru-"

But Naruto was already long gone, pushing Sasuke as quickly as he could toward Ichiraku Ramen. They were there within minutes, Sasuke's face abnormally green with a strangely blue tint.

"Whoops, did I make you sick?" Naruto scratched his head embarrassedly. "Sorry about that...but, well, IT'S RAMEN!"

"Naruto, be more careful!" Sakura yelled angrily. "Don't make him feel sick!"

Naruto ignored her, moving a stool aside to roll Sasuke in. Naruto took a seat himself. Sakura sighed and took her seat beside Sasuke, who was in the middle.

"Hey, old man!" Naruto waved happily. "Three bowls of miso ramen with extra pork!"

"Why, if it isn't Naruto!" Teuchi smiled paternally. "I haven't seen you in ages! Oh, are you on a date with Sakura-chan? Who's your new friend over here?"

"It's Sasuke, duh!" Naruto shook his head. "Who else would it be?"

"Oh, really?" Teuchi made a face. "Well, I haven't seen him in a long time! The ramen's on the house."

"Thanks, old man!" Naruto grinned.

The three sat in silence. Sasuke was nearly shaking in his seat, either anger, sorrow, or maybe both coursing through his veins. The ramen finally was served, breaking the uncomfortable quiet.

"ITADAKIMASU!" Naruto yelled joyously, breaking his chopsticks and digging in. He paid no attention to Sakura, but he kept his eye on Sasuke watchfully. Sasuke's face was still invisible with his hair in the way, but he didn't touch the food. He was shaking, presumably still riding out the effects from earlier.

"Old man, could we get a spoon? The biggest one you have if you can!" Naruto requested between mouthfuls.

"Here you go," Teuchi held out a rather large spoon to Sasuke. Sasuke lifted an arm and managed to grasp it unsteadily. Naruto smiled and continued to eat in his own little world.

That was, until he heard a strange gurgling beside him. Naruto snapped out of it and looked beside him to find Sasuke clutching his throat. Agony washed over his gorgeous features, and the vomiting sound was no more. His creamy skin was no longer green, but had a complete blue tinge to it, and his eyes had shut closed.

"Sakura-chan," he froze. "DO SOMETHING!"

Sakura sprang into action and wheeled Sasuke back, giving them more room. She pulled him out of the chair until he landed roughly on the ground, his mind no longer conscious. She sat behind him and put her arms around his abdomen, thrusting as hard as she could.

"Naruto, can you pay right now? We need to get back to the hospital right away!"

The blond nodded, and he pulled out his frog wallet. He poured out a random amount of coins and left them on the counter.

Sasuke finally coughed brutally, spewing blood, mucus, and a piece of noodle onto the ground in front of him. His eyes opened momentarily, but he fell back into Sakura's chest, unconscious.

"What happened to him!?" Naruto rushed out of his seat to sit by Sasuke.

"Are you kids okay?" Teuchi asked. "Do you need help?"

"Naruto," Sakura put a hand on Sasuke's forehead, her eyes bulging out of their sockets. "He just choked, but...I think he has pneumonia."

"Sakura-chan," Naruto gulped.

_No way..._

"You said that..."

"Yes, I did. Naruto...pneumonia for him is fatal."

(1) For those who don't know, the Japanese language runs on 46 syllables, called kana. There are no consonants; only syllables put together to form words. I don't know the correct exercises in English, so please bear with me while I use the Japanese version.

A/N: I feel like such a jerk now...There will be more eight chapters in this with the epilogue included. That is almost a definite now. Until next time: Loneliness.


	14. Loneliness

A/N: You know how I said I was such a jerk last chapter and such? Yeah...two days after I posted it, I got sick and felt like I had pneumonia D= I'm super sick. That is what I call divine retribution. Let's hope I don't get killed by the end of this story xD.

Edited August 25, 2012.

**DISCLAIMER:** It goes without saying that Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. However, we both share the love for Sasuke x Naruto...Look up some of his interviews if you haven't already.

'_**Till Death Do Us Part - Loneliness**_

Azure eyes opened to a gray ceiling lit by the morning sun. A light breeze blew into the bedroom, chilling the blond teenager unnaturally throughout his entire body, even through the blanket that was covering him. Uzumaki Naruto sat up and rubbed his clear blue eyes.

_Why am I so cold...?_

He shook his head groggily and stared out the spotless window. The villagers were already bustling through the streets. Children were laughing loudly, screaming with joy as they played tag with one another. Naruto felt like chewing them out; how could they be so happy when the greatest person he knew and loved was dying, suffering so much throughout his last days? He knew inside that it wasn't their fault, that he was just angry, but it was just _so_ hard...

"I should go see Sasuke today," he mumbled to himself, picking himself up and climbing off the bed. He had a hard time falling asleep the night before; Sakura had forced him to go home, and he wasn't used to sleeping by himself anymore. He missed the warmth of Sasuke's body, the way they snuggled together in their sleep, the sound of Sasuke's breathing, and even the faces he used to make in his sleep. Naruto always watched him before falling asleep himself, and he would sometimes just be entranced by his sleeping face when he woke up in the morning.

Naruto got dressed out of his pajamas and into his Halloween colored jump suit. He took one last look at Sasuke's bedroom and ran into the kitchen, grabbing a soldier pill from the counter. He stared momentarily at the bottle of medication beside the solider pills. Inside it was the medication Sakura had given him before that would either cure or kill the Uchiha. Ignoring the ominous feelings that came with look at it, he made his way outside and ran through the crowds of people, pushing them out of the way to get to Konoha Hospital as fast as he could.

"HELLO, NARUTO-KUN!" a familiar voice called out.

The blond stopped in his tracks only a few meters from the hospital grounds. He turned around sharply to see an ugly teenager with bushy eyebrows and a green, spandex suit.

"Hey, Lee," Naruto smiled as much as he could, but he could tell that his smile wasn't as genuine as it used to be.

"Hello, Naruto-kun!" Rock Lee grinned wildly. "How is the spirit of your youth? You don't look very well! You need to find your inner youth and celebrate it! How about we sweat our young sweat together and exercise valiantly?"

"I'm fine, Lee," Naruto shook his head. "I'm just visiting Sasuke, and maybe he'll get discharged today."

"Oh yes, I heard about his condition," the bushy browed teenager's eyes watered. He lifted a fist into the air, screaming with energy, "but he must not let that stop the spirit of his youth from sprouting! He must fight on, and overcome the challenge he faces within his youth! He must not waver or go back on past promises! He must stare into the sunset and cry manly tears of his youth, and -"

"I can't see him doing that!" Naruto nearly laughed. "I'm sure he'd rather die...or not see his goals accomplished before doing that!"

_Die...die...die..._

_It keeps on echoing in my head. I know he's going to die, but I just can't accept it. How can I accept something like that?_

"Oh," Lee's face fell. "Well, tell him I say hello and that I hope his youthful spirit comes back in full blossom! I would enjoy sparring with him again and sharing our youth!"

"I'll tell him," Naruto replied, "and I hope he'll be able to spar with you again too..." Without another word, he turned back around and ran through the hospital doors.

"Goodbye, Naruto-kun! Until we meet again!"

Naruto found himself in the lobby of the hospital. Ignoring the people around him, he hurried onto the room down the hall he knew Sasuke was staying in. He slammed the door open to find the fragile boy jolting awake, a look of fury directed at Naruto.

"Oh, sorry," Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Did I wake you up?"

"Obviously," Sasuke scowled, "you loser."

Naruto grinned at the sight of his best friend, boyfriend, or whatever he should call Sasuke. The amount of weight he had lost was almost unsightly, but he still remained beautiful in Naruto's eyes. His blacker than midnight eyes were entrancing, and they contrasted amazingly with his porcelain white skin. His skin was smooth and only lightly scarred in places where he had been given medical testing.

"How are you feeling?" Naruto smiled as he climbed into bed with Sasuke, putting his arm around his thin frame. "Lee says hi and to get better, youthful spirit and crap. Anyway, I got up early just for you, so be grateful that I'm here! So, you feel okay?"

"I'm just fine," Sasuke looked away, attempting to maintain his pride.

"Sasuke!" Naruto whined. "I want to know the truth! Even if you don't tell anyone but me, that's fine! I thought I was special to you!"

"You are, idiot!" Sasuke admitted, quickly turning scarlet. "I have a headache. Is that good enough for you?"

"Yes, that is," Naruto snuggled his head into the crook of Sasuke's neck, breathing heavily. "You know that I love you." The blond giggled when he could feel goosebumps rise across Sasuke's skin. "Hey, Sasuke, how about we ki-"

"Naruto, I'm going to the bathroom," Sasuke interrupted sternly.

"I can take you there if you want," Naruto shrugged. "I don't mind."

The Uchiha sighed and somehow managed to sit himself up. His trembling hands slowly took a hold of the sheet that covered him and lifted it, sluggishly removing it from on top of his body. Suddenly, he paused, then collapsed back into the bed.

"Get out," his voice shook, trembling with despair.

Naruto was about to complain when he felt something warm soak his behind. He sniffed the air, only to smell acid.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were going to the bathroom," Naruto frowned. "Couldn't you hold it?"

"Get the HELL out!" Sasuke's voice cracked, and he coughed from the strain of trying to yell.

Naruto's eyes widened as the truth dawned on him.

_He just peed his pants, but only because he can't hold it anymore._

He jumped out of the bed, only to see Sasuke huffing for breath. His hands went to his chest, and sweat was dripping down his face. As if by miracle, the pink haired medical ninja happened to make an appearance. She took one look at Sasuke and took action. Naruto watched in awe as Sakura did her job. Within moments she had given Sasuke a breathing mask, and he was breathing normally again.

"What happened?" Sakura asked. "Did he...lose control of his bladder?"

Naruto nodded, and Sasuke lowered his head in shame.

"It's okay, Sasuke-kun," Sakura smiled comfortingly. "You had a hard time breathing probably because you have pneumonia, but it's under control with the medication you're on. Also, we'll get you cleaned up. I don't know if you want me to help you or not considering I'm a girl and your friend, but I'm also a medical ninja. Naruto could help you, or I could get someone else to help you..."

"I can do it myself," Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"If you're sure," Sakura sighed, "but we'll get someone to change the sheets for you. I'll get a nurse to take you to the rehab center while your sheets are being changed. I'll make sure you get new clothing too."

"Hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto interrupted. "When is Sasuke going to be discharged?"

"I don't want to be discharged," his voice came out strained, as if he didn't have enough air to say everything he wanted to. "I can't live normally anymore."

"Can he do that, Sakura-chan?" Naruto flared up. "He's just going to stay in the hospital and never come home!?"

"It's a good idea," Sakura replied, trying to stay calm. "The disease is progressing at an alarming rate, and if he doesn't take his medication, even with rehab, he could be bedridden within months."

"Sasuke, take your damn medication!" Naruto yelled. "Don't you want to go home? Why are you doing this!?"

"I don't want to draw this out anymore," he answered weakly, his voicebox barely allowing him to convey his feelings.

"We'll leave you alone for now, Sasuke-kun," Sakura exited through the door and motioned for Naruto to follow. Naruto took one last glance before leaving. The rosette-haired girl shut the door.

"I guess our promise to laugh together is a bust," she whispered tearfully. "Chances are he can't even smile anymore, let alone laugh. The disease...it's so cruel."

Naruto felt his eyes sting, and he grimaced. "Sakura-chan, should I bring his things over here since he'll be staying here?"

Sakura nodded, "That would be great. In the mean time, I have to go to the bathroom myself." She placed her hands on her stomach and winked. "I'm a little bit nauseous."

The blond smiled. "Is little Mioku making Mommy feel bad?"

Sakura's face fell slightly. "I still haven't told Tsunade-sama, let alone my parents. I think Tsunade-sama will forgive me, but I don't even know what my parents' reactions will be. I'm scared, Naruto."

"If anything happens, you can count on me to help you!" Naruto reassured. "You should tell them before you get a big stomach because they might get really mad if you don't bother, but I guess we could cover it up, and then they'll never have to know!"

Sakura chuckled, "Thanks Naruto, but I'm going to have to tell them. I'll see you later today, okay?" She took off towards the bathrooms, leaving Naruto alone.

* * *

"Let's see," Naruto sat on the floor of Sasuke's bedroom. "What exactly am I supposed to bring?"

He sprawled himself onto the floor and stared up at the bland ceiling.

_It's going to be so lonely now that I'm going to be by myself. It might be worth moving back to my apartment at this point. I think it's still vacant right now._

He got up again, completely out-of-sorts. He crawled over to his closet and took out a bunch of clothes, most of them black or blue.

_I've taken him for granted so much. How am I supposed to sleep without him here, me protecting him? I thought we had reached happiness, but now he can't even live a normal life, so he has to stay in the hospital to survive..._

He took out a navy bag from the bottom of the closet and shoved the clothes in. He stood up finally and headed towards the bathroom, grabbing whatever belonged to Sasuke.

_I feel like I'm defiling his house by being here alone. It's like I've invaded Uchiha property. It's kinda creepy actually..._

Naruto shuddered and stuffed the random things he had taken into the bag. "Maybe I should have asked Sakura-chan and Sasuke what to bring..." Naruto mumbled. "I guess I can always bring more stuff if I have to." He quickly rummaged through some of the drawers with a small, hard covered book caught his eye. He snatched it from it's place in the organized drawer and shut the drawer closed. He snickered and opened the black book. On the front cover written in childish writing was 'Property of Uchiha Sasuke! Don't look inside!'

_Heh, _Naruto smirked, _this must have been his diary as a kid. _He flipped the page to read the first diary entry.

"_Hello! This is Uchiha Sasuke! I got this journal from big brother Itachi for my eighth birthday! Mother and Father got me books and stuff, but I don't think they care as much as Itachi does. That makes me so sad! Itachi cares, and I love him, so I'm okay! I'm going to write in this whenever I can! Bye!"_

Naruto's eyes widened at the fact that that journal entry was _Sasuke's_. It was so...naive, but so sweet, yet somewhat sad. It was honest. The cerulean orbs moved onto the next entry.

"_I'm sorry I haven't written in this for so long. It's been a year, hasn't it? Itachi, that bastard, he...he killed off everyone! He killed the whole Uchiha clan! I don't understand! He said it was to test his capacity, but how could he kill off everyone for that? Why did he leave me alive!? To suffer!? I can't handle this...The person I trusted most lied to me! He said that he'd always be there for me... I don't know what to do anymore. I don't want to write in this because Itachi gave it to me, but it'll remind me of what I have to do. I have to kill him."_

Naruto's eyes watered. The words of the eight year old Sasuke were painfully raw, and he noted that the paper was rippled and stained in places from his tears. He flipped through the pages until he came to one that seemingly popped out at him.

"_I got my squad assignment today. That stupid kid, Naruto, is in it. I don't mind Sakura because she's actually intelligent, but to have the worst in the class? Actually...Naruto isn't that bad. He's a special person who knows the same pain as me, maybe even a friend of mine. His choices are different, but we're almost the same inside. I want to get to know him more and try to understand how he can act so **happy. **He's the only person I can tolerate around me."_

The teenager felt himself smile. Sasuke seemed to have taken an interest in him those three years ago. He would have never guessed that Sasuke had always liked him! He felt a small fire of hope blaze inside his heart. He flipped towards the middle section of the journal. The Uchiha didn't seem to write in the journal often; if he had had it since he was eight and the journal wasn't even close to being filled to the end, he obviously didn't feel the need to write in it.

"_I'm fourteen tomorrow. I'm planning on spending the day with Naruto. I hate to say it, but I really like the idiot, but I'll never admit it to him. I don't want to like him, and I can hardly believe myself for liking him so much. I can't afford to like anyone; I need to only hate Itachi, the man who I refuse to call a brother. As stupid as it sounds, I don't think I can ever love again after I loved Itachi. I can't go through that pain again. It's better if I never say anything to him at all about it. I don't want to have to suffer because of our bond. Naruto's not gay anyway; he has an obvious crush on Sakura."_

"_I feel strange. I feel like something inside of me is breaking. I've noticed that I've lost a lot of weight, maybe five pounds since the beginning of the week. I haven't done anything different, and it's too much weight to just be a part of adolescence. I've been tripping too. It's like I can't control my own balance, and I fall over. It's weird because I don't have reflexes either. I fall on my face. Sometimes, it's like I can't move at all. My body won't move when I want it to. Something's wrong with me, but I refuse to acknowledge it. I can't afford to let anyone notice."_

"_I tried to leave Konoha the other night. Hell, I was so out of it that I bought drugs. **Drugs.** I never thought I'd sink that far, but I needed to distract myself. Sakura showed up, and then I tripped, so I got scared. I had to go home after that, and I was frightened enough to actually try the drugs. I swear, I'm not going to do them again. The drugs made me lose control, and I'm not willing to do that again."_

Naruto's started to shake a little bit. The Sasuke that wrote in the journal was so much more open about his feelings, probably because he felt like there was nobody he could confide in without getting hurt. Now, the blond knew what was coming in the next few pages.

"_It's been over a year since I've written in this. It's already December of the next year. At lot of things happened, and I don't know what to do with myself anymore. I haven't known what to do for so long, so it's hard to come back here and try to confront my own feelings. I'm dying, but I'm losing everything while I'm at it. The only thing that has come out of this is that Naruto seems to like me a lot, but it's a curse. I don't want to leave him behind if he's the only one keeping me alive. I can't walk well. I notice that I choke when I eat sometimes. I feel weak. Nobody has noticed yet, but my words are screwed up sometimes. I can feel myself dying, and it's all such a waste. My handwriting is worse than a child's. I just wish I could tell Naruto I love him, but that would make everything even worse."_

It was with that that Naruto felt a few cool tears slide down his tanned cheek. The handwriting on that page was so awkward and messy compared to the page before, and it was just painful to both read and even look at. Sasuke let his words flow freely, trusting that nobody would ever read them.

_I'm a traitor. I'm looking through his diary without permission! I'm reading things he would never want me to read about him. I shouldn't be doing this! But, it's so hard to try to help him when he never admits how he feels. Hell, he's only cried once! I don't think I've ever felt so far away from him...There are so many things going through his mind that he's never bothered to tell me. Yeah, he loves me, but he doesn't trust me to not hurt him! There's a barrier between us, and I never even noticed. I thought we had become so much closer too..._

He sunk down to his knees and shut the diary, pounding the floor with his fist. "IT'S NOT FAIR! WHY IS GOD SO UNFAIR!? WHY SASUKE!? WHY!? HOW COULD GOD DO SOMETHING SO CRUEL TO A PERSON!?"

Naruto couldn't see anything in his blind rage. His vision became crimson, and he could feel his nails growing longer, his teeth becoming sharper.

"_Take my power. Destroy to relieve your pain. Come on, you've asked for my power before. Remove the seal."_

Naruto clutched onto his head and tried to control himself, grimacing in sheer agony. His blood was boiling beneath his skin, burning to the touch.

_No, you bastard Kyuubi! I refuse to hurt anyone! I need to be under control so I can take care of Sasuke and make him happy!_

_SASUKE!_

The enraged teen began to feel cool again. The red surrounding him faded away, leaving him alone in Sasuke's bedroom. Ignoring what just happened, Naruto stuffed the journal at the bottom of the bag, undignified. He zipped it closed, a few angry tears spilling onto its handle. He grabbed it roughly and stopped out the door, heading back to the hospital to see his dear Sasuke once again.

_Sasuke, I swear, I'm going to get you to confess that you love me, and I'll convince you that it's okay to feel that way!_

A/N: I'm sorry for the terrible ending DX. I'm actually quite excited for the next chapter. Lots of NaruSasu in there XD. More than you'd think...I'm just stuck on how to write it 'appropriately' *wink*. POCKY TO THOSE WHO REVIEW! Until next chapter: Memories.


	15. Memories

A/N: O_O" I rewrote this over and over again because I was really unsure about the final element of this chapter. In the end, I had to cut it out. It really didn't suit the type of story this is, and even though I had already written it out (and was quite proud of it too), I had to...dispose of it .

Edited August 25, 2012.

DISCLAIMER: I wish I was the owner of Naruto so that Iruka would die. Seriously, I hate his guts.

'_**Till Death Do Us Part - Memories**_

The March breeze carried itself through Naruto's body, the smell of the cherry blossom buds filling his senses. It was a cool, cloudy afternoon, and the blond was lying out in the hospital's garden while Sasuke was going through his daily rehabilitation inside. Naruto didn't think it was doing much good; in fact, Sasuke seemed to be doing a lot worse, but if it possibly gave him a chance to move his body a little more and get better, he couldn't complain. He could always feel this constant tugging at his chest, and it was slowly ripping his heart.

_It's been around a month since Sasuke's been staying in the hospital. He saw his journal at the bottom of the bag I brought with his stuff, but he never asked me if I read it. He probably knows though...I wish I could make him feel like I'm worth talking to! I wish he would just take his damn medication too! What kind of person doesn't want to get better?!_

"Naruto!" a voice resounded through the garden. The blond turned around in his orange windbreaker, searching for the voice that had called out his name. Of course, it was none other than Haruno Sakura standing behind him.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned. "What's up? Is Sasuke still in rehab?"

"Oh, yeah," she took a seat beside him on the steps. "He should be out soon, but I came to tell you that Tsunade-sama wants to see you in her office. She's at the Hokage tower right now, and it's important that you talk to her as soon as possible."

"What does she want?" Naruto tilted his head.

"I don't really know," Sakura shook her head. "She was just passing by when she saw me and asked me to tell you. Anyway, I also came to tell you something. I haven't told Sasuke-kun because I don't want to upset him, but..."

The blond felt a surge of adrenaline from fear run through his system, and he found himself inches from Sakura's face. "What is it?! It's not that bad, right!? He's not getting worse, is he!?"

"You're too close, Naruto," Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, sorry," the jinchuuriki smiled sheepishly. He moved back and gazed out at the pastel colored flowers, some covered with the remaining snow from the winter. It was a quaint little garden, and it made Naruto feel a little more at rest.

"Anyway," Sakura sighed. "It's about the baby. I should have told him before, but I just wanted him to have something going right in his life."

Naruto's face fell, "What's wrong with him?"

_No, no, NO! Nothing's going to go wrong with Sakura-chan's pregnancy! That's the last thing any of us needs...It might just break Sasuke to leave nothing or nobody behind!_

"Well, spinocerebellar ataxia is hereditary," Sakura explained sadly. "Sasuke-kun has probably realized this by now, but due to the chromosomes in his brain, there's a chance that little Mioku might contract it when he's older. The usual rate where the degeneration begins is around the 4th decade of life, but that's not always the case. Do you understand?"

"Uh," Naruto scratched the back of his head, "yeah...not really."

"It means that the baby might have Sasuke-kun's disease when he grows up," Sakura lowered her eyes.

A slow numbness climbed through Naruto's tanned skin, leaving him feeling empty. The tugging at his heart grew stronger, threatening to split his chest. "Mioku is going to go through the same thing as Sasuke?"

_How can something like this even happen to a person!? It's not fair...God's not fair. _

"I'm healthy though, so we have to pray together that Mioku will be healthy too and will live on to carry the Uchiha name proudly!" Sakura exclaimed with a forced smile. "I just want Sasuke-kun to not have to deal with the thought of possibly having given it to another person, let alone his own child. I want him to just be happy that his family hasn't died out. I want him to...be happy when it's over."

"Sasuke won't die!" Naruto yelled. "He's strong enough to fight it! Mioku will be too!"

_NO! The end...it can't! Sasuke's like my other half! He was the first one to accept me for who I was, and we've been through too much to just let it end like this!_

"Naruto, snap out of your denial!" Sakura cried. "There's nothing more we can do for Sasuke-kun. Even if we force him to take his medication, it might be too late! At this rate..." she choked, "at this rate, he will be bedridden within months. If his symptoms pile up on top of each other too much, he

ll die sooner than most. His medication had prevented a lot of his symptoms from coming out, more than in most patients, but ever since he's been off of it, he's just been going downhill. The worse case scenario is that he'll pass away before he turns sixteen. Mioku only has a fifty percent chance of getting spinocerebellar ataxia, and we may be able to do something to try to prevent the process if we can figure out what causes it, but we have to be wary anyway!"

The blond felt like he had been slapped in the face. "Are you saying that Sasuke won't be able to move by July? If we pray really hard, I bet Mioku will be healthy, but Sasuke...there's nothing we can do AT ALL!? I thought he had ten years to live, and it's only been two and a half!"

Tears slid down the medical ninja's face. "That's right, Naruto; we can't do anything for him, but it's only the worst case scenario that he may not be able to move by then. With a little luck, he could make it for a few more years," Sakura inhaled. "Although it's been eight months since he woke up from a coma, he probably had it for a few months before he got sick. He was in a coma for a year, so he's naturally had it for two years. Don't you remember his stroke though? It affected the worst possible area for him, so that tacked on a some damage, maybe two or three years worth of it. The medication prevented it from looking too bad, but now that he's off it, the damage is showing. He's also showing that his degeneration has increased a lot, so he's doing terribly. Some people die after the five year mark, and he was in really bad shape when he woke up this morning. You're lucky you weren't there." Sakura paused to wipe the tears from her face. "Even though I've become accustomed to the way he speaks, I can barely understand him now. He was barely able to move his legs when I left him with Shizune-san in the rehab center, and I might have to give him feeding tubes to give him a rest from trying to feed himself. The most we can do is make him comfortable. Naruto, it was never supposed to end up like this!" She sobbed, burying herself in the other teen's chest. "I don't want to see him suffer anymore!"

Naruto's body fell into shock as he absorbed all the information Sakura's shaking voice cried out to him. It was true that he hadn't made it in as soon as visiting hours had started; he had slept in late from the exhaustion of staying with Sasuke so long at the hospital.

"We'll all be okay, Sakura-chan," Naruto patted her head, trying to stay strong for both of them. He resisted what his heart felt and blinked away his tears, saving them for later.

_This can't be true! Sasuke could be dead in four months? There are so many things I wanted to do with him, but now with his condition, we'll never...I just wish I could have been with him this morning! I want to be with him every step of the way so he doesn't feel have to alone anymore! At least Sakura-chan was with him..._

"I finally got the guts to tell Tsunade-same today about my pregnancy," Sakura interrupted Naruto's thoughts weakly.

"What did she say?" Naruto asked, but there was a hint of dullness tainting his speech. "Did she accept it!?"

"She was a little angry at first," the chuunin sighed. "She said that I was only going to hurt myself for having Sasuke's baby, and that I wasn't thinking about the consequences, how Mioku could possibly get SPC as an adult, but I think she understands me. On the other hand, my parents..."

Naruto eye's widened with anxiety, "Were your parents happy for you?"

Sakura's pale malachite irises shimmered in the sunlight. 'Not really...I was throwing up in the bathroom, and they asked me if I was okay. I admitted that I was pregnant, and they were so angry! They..." she gulped, "Naruto, they kicked me out of the house!" Fresh tears trickled down her flushed face, falling onto the cement steps. She heaved miserably, holding him around the torso. "Naruto, I have nowhere to go! My whole family thinks I'm some kind of whore! I couldn't tell Tsunade-sama about that and make her pity me! Now, with Sasuke-kun's condition, my pregnancy, and everything going on, I feel like such a failure!"

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto's eyes widened. He hugged her back with his muscular arms, holding her close to him. "You're not a whore or a failure! You're really strong for trying to help Sasuke so much, and with the medication you made, he could live!"

_How could someone's parents do that to their own child! They don't even understand why Sakura-chan did this, do they!? That's not fair..._

"It's okay, Sakura-chan," Naruto whispered. "I'm still at Sasuke's place. I wanted to move out when Sasuke decided to stay here, but I just couldn't make myself leave! It's a huge place, and even if it's a ghost town, I think you could probably stay there with me. Sasuke would never say no to you if I'm already living there!"

"Thank you, Naruto, but I don't know about that," Sakura trailed off, sniffling. "I'm kind of scared to go and live in his ancestral home. It's like invading his privacy."

"Well, just ask him!" Naruto pouted. "It gets lonely living alone, and I don't think you want to be homeless! It's a win-win situation!"

"I'll ask then," Sakura nodded. "Thank you so much, Naruto."

"No problem!" Naruto placed his hand on Sakura's stomach. "I really want to help you take care of the baby with Sasuke, and I love the little guy already!"

"Don't touch me until there's a more noticeable bump," Sakura replied sourly, but playfully. "Anyway, go and see Tsunade-sama! I'll check on Sasuke-kun in the meantime. Oh, and I want you to remember this: if EVER something happens to Sasuke-kun when I'm not around and you need medical assistance, release a huge burst of chakra, a larger one than if you were training. I'll pick it up if you're in Konoha, and I'll go to you as fast as I can. If I'm on a mission, I'll make sure both Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san know about our agreement. Got it?"

"Got it! I'll be back as soon as I can!" Naruto grinned, standing up and taking off. He passed through the familiar sterile hallways, eventually exiting the hospital. He took off in the direction of the Hokage Tower, trying his hardest to get there as soon as he could. Knocking over Kotestsu and Izumo along the way (and not hearing them yell after him for making their paperwork), he finally burst open the door to Tsunade's office.

"HEY, BAA-CHAN!" Naruto yelled. "Sakura-chan told me that you needed to talk to me, so what is it!?"

The Fifth Hokage sat at her desk, a cup of sake in one hand, and her other hand flipping through papers mindlessly. She looked up at the sound of Naruto's entrance, sighing at his behavior.

"Nice to see you too, Naruto. Seeing as you're so excited to know, to get to the point, you're being but back on missions again."

Naruto's jaw dropped. He broke out in sweat, yet an icy feeling of shock filled his system. His eyes widened until they seemed to take up half his face, indicating his shock.

"What the hell do you mean I'm going back on missions!?" Naruto bellowed, hastily moving to right in front of Tsunade's desk. "I have to take care of Sasuke!"

"You _had _to take care of Sasuke," Tsunade pointed out. "He is now staying in the hospital. I've given you two time to adjust, and now you should be going back on missions. As a ninja, you have a duty to your village! Besides, we've already found Sasuke's replacement for Team 7. You'll meet him tomorrow."

"Sasuke will NEVER be replaced!" Naruto banged on her desk, causing her files to go flying across the room. "This new guy sucks, and I'm not going to leave Sasuke for a stupid reason like 'it's my duty' or crap!"

"Naruto, if you stay in this village, the Akatsuki will be more likely to capture you!" Tsunade stood up, infuriated. "Not only will you endanger yourself if your location doesn't change often, but you will also endanger Sasuke! Furthermore, your new team member, Sai, is very skilled."

Naruto became paralyzed in place, the weight of Tsunade's words pushing his feet deep into the ground. She was right.

"If you were to stay here, the Akatsuki would come after you and try to kidnap you, possibly destroying Konoha in the process, and if you're always with Sasuke, then the chance that they may use his weakened body as a hostage is a lot higher than it would be if you went back on missions!"

_Dammit, so I have to stay away from Sasuke to protect him!? I will, but, but, what if he gets lonely? What if..._

"When do I start?" the blond gulped.

"Tomorrow," Tsunade returned to her seat. "You'll be going on a C rank mission with Team 7, but Kakashi has temporarily been replaced with an ANBU member. Sakura has been telling me that your seal seems to be weakening, and we can't have Kyuubi running rampant, can we? Your temporary new leader has the ability to repress the Kyuubi, and he's an ideal ninja for the mission."

Even as the Hokage ran through the details, Naruto's mind was somewhere else. His thoughts remained with Sasuke, his first, true love. The thought of him sitting in that bed, barely able to move, speak, or even eat both disturbed, infuriated, and saddened him.

_He's already being replaced by other people as if he doesn't even matter anymore! I mean, Team 7's empty space is filled, but it's not like anyone even cares! Am I the only one who bothers to think about him anymore?_

"Baa-chan," Naruto interrupted. "How close are you to saving Sasuke?"

Tsunade stared at him first with confusion, fury, and then melancholy. "Naruto," she tested, "do you think Sasuke can be saved?"

"Of course he can!" he grinned. "I can't wait until he can finally leave the hospital and be able to do everything he could before! Sakura-chan said it would be tough and nearly impossible, for me to accept that he was dying, but I think there's a chance!"

"Naruto," Tsunade's voice softened, "there's not a lot of hope. His body is barely working for him, and if he doesn't take his medication, he could end up bedridden within months. I should have told you this a long time ago, but I didn't want to see you break with him. You have to know the truth, and you have to accept it!" the woman inhaled. "Sasuke is going to die, and we can't do anything for him. Sakura and I did find a new treatment that I believe she told you about, but that is only if we must use it since it has a better chance of killing him than saving him. All we can do is make him comfortable."

"But, but!" Naruto's eyes were glossy with tears, "that's just not fair!"

"Life's not fair," she replied harshly. "Being a ninja, you should know that. I won't put you on long term missions so you can still see him before the end, but be prepared. Death is a part of life, and some are just harder to accept than others. I know what it's like to lose the one you love most!"

Naruto's face became hot, practically steaming inside Tsunade's office. "Ahh...did Sakura-chan tell you? But how can you say that about Sasuke!? He just CAN'T die! Work harder and save him NOW! I don't want to see him like this..." The teenager stormed out of the room, ignoring the Hokage's calls. His mind was on overload, not passing any coherent thought, even though it all made sense to him in its own twisted way. He was angry, frustrated, and frightened by the prospect of losing the person most important to him. Tears were beginning to leak from his eyes as his legs brought him to wherever his heart wanted to go, but he was in too emotional a state to notice.

"Ah, Naruto? What did Tsunade-sama want?"

Naruto stopped in his tracks and observed the area around him, finding himself right outside Konoha Hospital, the place his legs had automatically brought him to. He was standing only inches from where Sakura had paused, her slim hands gripping the bars of an occupied wheelchair. Naruto couldn't tear his gaze away from the gorgeous boy sitting defeatedly in the dreaded chair. Sasuke's dark orbs no longer contained the life that a teenager should have, and Naruto despised that. His once strong body was now bony and thin, hidden by a navy sweater. His legs were covered in a blanket, a photo album resting on it. His face was quite hollow and pasty, nothing like it once used to be, but even so, he was perfect to Naruto.

"The hag is putting me back on missions, and we're going on one tomorrow" Naruto crossed his arms angrily. "Apparently Sasuke has been replaced by some crappy ninja named Sai! I won't be able to stay with Sasuke anymore!"

Sakura smiled. "Naruto, it's actually a good thing you're back on missions. You need to stay healthy and get out a little. I'm proud of you for going tomorrow. I wonder why she didn't brief us at the same time though? Maybe she wanted to break the news to you or something."

The blond frowned. "But Sasuke is getting replaced, and I know you still go on missions, but we'll both be gone now! Won't he get lonely?"

"Sasuke-kun will be fine, won't he?" Sakura looked down at the boy sitting below her, soothing him with her voice. His coal eyes were wide with realization, expressing some sort of intangible feeling. "Nobody can ever replace him either! We just have a new member of Team 7, that's all."

"Fine, but I'm not happy about it!" Naruto grumbled. "Even Kakashi-sensei is being replaced by some ANBU guy! Anyway, what're you guys doing out here?"

"Sasuke-kun asked if he could leave the hospital for a little bit after he was done with his rehabilitation for the day," Sakura explained. "I think he wanted to go through the photo album you gave us for Christmas again, so I did him a favor and brought him both that and the flute earlier today. It's going to be one of his first times using his motorized wheelchair, but I thought I might push him through the streets until we get to a more open area. If he wants though, you can take him instead as long as you're back soon."

"Sasuke, I'm going with you instead of Sakura-chan!" Naruto stuck his tongue out. "And you better be okay with that!"

The sickly teenager nodded slowly. He had dark bags etched beneath his lifeless eyes, and he no longer had any energy. His right arm trembled as he lifted it from his lap, moving his hand to a small joystick. He made an effort to push it and move towards Naruto, his face stoic, yet hurt gleamed in his eyes.

"SWEET!" Naruto punched the air. "Let's go!"

"Bring him back soon," Sakura waved them off.

"So, Sasuke, where did you want to go?" Naruto asked casually as they travelled through the streets of Konoha.

Sasuke gulped and stretched his neck out, attempting to utter a sound. His words came out a slow mess, his tongue unable to move properly to make the right sounds. Naruto nodded, able to understand the words 'genin' and 'test' in his tangle of words. It pained him to hear his best friend's once so smooth voice to come out so cracked and unclear.

"Yeah, that's something we promised to do together, right?" Naruto put stretched out his arms. "I still don't understand why you don't want to take your medication though! Doesn't it kind of suck not to?"

The wheelchair bound teenager twisted his neck as if his voice could be more clear if he held his voice box in a certain position. "I," he tested, "don't want to suffer longer than I have to." His sentence took a lot longer than it should have to say, and it was barely comprehensible to Naruto's ears, but its message remained the same.

People began to stare at the two boys, pointing and whispering amongst each other.

"Is that the Uchiha? He's barely recognizable, and I can't understand a word he's saying!"

"Poor boy, in a wheelchair like that. They say he won't live much longer."

"Hmm, last time I saw him, he was walking liking some sort of drunk. I heard that he was getting into drugs too. I thought he had let himself go, but I guess he's actually sick."

"Ah, is that the last Uchiha? What a waste."

"Don't listen to them," Naruto gritted his teeth. It took all his willpower to restrain himself, but he had to try to remain mature, restrained, in their situation.

Sasuke didn't reply, but his body language said it all. The Uchiha kept his head up high, facing each villager in the eye. Fierceness gleamed in his charcoal eyes, the spark of life finally igniting for the first time in months. Naruto looked down at him depressingly, yet a drop of happiness flooded his system at what Sasuke's eyes told him.

_He's not going to let what they say get to him. I don't know how he does it, but it's amazing! I can't bear to see him dying like this though...He's only fifteen, and there are so many things I've always wanted to do with him, and...I just can't stand to see someone's life, especially Sasuke's life get ruined like this! At least he's striving to live. He's trying for once._

"Na-ru-to," Sasuke interrupted. "We're here."

Naruto blinked to find himself alone with Sasuke, just the two of them in the field where everything began. The field where they first became genin, the field where they had spent countless days sparring together, the field where Sasuke first showed signs of illness, the field where Sasuke nearly died...

"Do you want to lie down here?" Naruto asked. "It can be like old times, you know..."

Sasuke nodded carefully, slowly removing the album from his lap onto the ground. The stronger teenager lifted him out of the chair. He gasped at how light he was; this boy, once stronger and taller then him, was now reduced to a small, light body. Naruto bit his lip and placed him carefully down on the grass, holding his frail neck as Sasuke let himself fall back with caution. Naruto lay down beside him and put his arms behind his head, staring up at the endless blue of the afternoon sky.

"Sasuke," Naruto turned his head to gaze into Sasuke's eternally dark eyes, which were staring into the endless blue sky, "what exactly are we? Can I call you my boyfriend?"

Sasuke's eyes moved to meet Naruto's gaze. He gave him a hard look, then turned away.

"Aww, come on, Sasuke!" Naruto scooted over closer to Sasuke until he was breathing on his neck. "I thought you liked this..." The blond breathed heavily on the raven haired teenager's pale chest. "Don't you like me?" he whispered.

"Idiot," Sasuke scowled, but his normally white face was flushed. His words came out like utter mush, but Naruto's ears somehow translated his slush into words. "Fine, I like you."

"Oh, but I thought you loved me?" Naruto giggled, pressing his lips to Sasuke's tepid face.

"I..." Sasuke trailed off, unable to voice his thoughts. Goosebumps rose across his pale skin, causing Naruto to giggle.

"Come on, Sasuke, you have to learn to love people," Naruto pulled away from Sasuke, "or at least learn to admit it!"

"Don't be," Sasuke's defined lips tried to smirk, but it looked like the mere attempt exhausted him, "so cocky."

"I don't really care if you get mad at me for saying this, but you need to let go of the past," Naruto sighed. "It's not like we can ever go back, so there's no point in wishing for what could have been. It's up to us to make the future, and we can make our own destiny!"

"Cheesy," Sasuke scoffed, but his face seemed thoughtful.

"You might as well be happy if there's nothing else we can do," Naruto shrugged. "So, just admit you love me! I don't care if you admit it or not; you're my boyfriend, and I'm calling you that!"

Sasuke's eyes flickered to Naruto's face, and his tired arms wobbled as they tried to sit up. He struggled to move his body closer to Naruto's, a look of helplessness and frustration gleaming in his eyes. Naruto watched sadly, his arms reaching out to help him, but Sasuke shook his head in refusal.

_The bastard will get angry if I try to help him, but maybe I should help him anyway! He needs to try to move on his own, but it's so hard to know what to do...I was never smart anyway._

The older of the two finally made it to his destination, and he laid his head on Naruto's warm chest. The sound of his breathing matched the rhythm of Naruto's heart, and the blond couldn't help but smile. Sasuke's mouth twitched, and his dark eyes were soft.

_I guess I can't really expect him to admit that he loves someone after being such a bastard who lived on hatred for so long, but there's no time to lose to hatred anymore!_

"It's not too late to love someone again, Sasuke," Naruto whispered. He reached over for their album full of memories and opened it in front of the two of them. Sasuke managed to place his hands over Naruto's, lightly holding on to them. They flipped through the pictures, Naruto laughing at some, Sasuke frowning at most. There was there official team picture, photos taken from the sports festival a few years ago, pictures of them at Ichiraku ramen. Both of them looked nostalgically at the pictures of them together, just two boys who didn't yet know or understand their feelings, but felt such affinity for each other. When they came to the last two pictures in the album, Sasuke finally spoke up.

"I...can't smile anymore," he spoke softly. "How do you expect me to tell you I love you when the only expression I have is a frown?"

"You never even smiled before," Naruto replied sadly after taking the time to listen to Sasuke's mumbled words. "I would have liked to have seen you smile at least once...But it's not like you need to smile to love someone! As long as you love me, you don't need to smile."

"Hn."

"Sasuke," Naruto set the book down beside him, "are you afraid?"

"Of what?"

"Of what's happening obviously! I mean, you chose to stop taking the medicine, and you're not doing well. Are you afraid of what's going to happen?"

Sasuke paused, taking the time to think of an answer. "I stopped the medicine so I won't suffer as long. I want you to kill me."

Naruto glared, "I told you before, I-"

"You promised."

Naruto stopped, eyeing him closely. His face looked peaceful as he lay on his chest, but he was obviously serious.

"I want to die a ninja's death," Sasuke added. "If I can't live long enough to accomplish my goals, then I want to die with a shred of dignity."

"Sasuke, I just don't want to see you suffer," Naruto ruffled Sasuke's hair with his fingers, "but I'll...end it all _only_ if it gets hopeless. If there's even a chance of you getting better, I won't do it! I'll do it someday if you promise me one thing!"

"What?"

"You gotta try to live! Do your rehabilitation, do as much as you can do, and you have to take your medication!"

"Hn," Sasuke shut his eyes, remaining silent for some time. "I'm entrusting my life to you, moron."

Naruto felt a weird sort of emotion spring up when he heard Sasuke's words. A strange happiness tainted with misery captured his heart, shackling it with its chains of the future.

'_I'm entrusting my life to you.' Does that mean he trusts me? Sure, he hasn't actually told me that he loves me, but I know he does, and he's beginning to show it too! I love him so much, and I'm so scared for him. I don't want to see him die right in front of me like this! _

"There are so many things I wanted to do with you," Naruto sighed, "and now we might not be able to. I don't want to give up, but things are looking really bad right now for us. Even if you're not afraid, I am!" The blond suddenly felt Sasuke's neck tense on his shoulder, and a small yelp of pain escaped the Uchiha's lips.

"Na-ru-to," Sasuke tried to pronounce each syllable, but his voice was cracking and shaky, "I'm not afraid."

Naruto lifted his head up to see that his boyfriend's face had paled, and his obsidian eyes were glossy. "What's wrong? Don't cry," he soothed, gently removing Sasuke's head from his chest. He turned his face to directly meet Sasuke's eyes.

"I'm not crying," he grimaced. "My body is just stiff."

"Is that normal?" Naruto asked worriedly. He brushed Sasuke's bangs from his face, feeling his forehead. His hands moved across his body, feeling the rigid muscles in his arms and legs. He massaged each muscle, relaxing them as best he could.

"Stop it, Naruto," Sasuke turned away, embarrassed. His face was flushed, scarlet with humiliation.

"Nah, it's okay!" Naruto ignored the look on Sasuke's face, missing the point. His tanned fingers pressed all the right places on Sasuke's body, loosening up every muscle he could. "I don't really mind or anything."

"It's not that!" he hissed. He bit his pink lip, a surly expression on his face.

"Oh." A lightbulb went off in Naruto's head. "You're thinking dirty things aren't you?" When Sasuke's face seemed to illuminate scarlet, he smirked mischievously. "Oh, Sasuke, I never took you for that type of guy!"

His eyes were downcast, a frown on his face. "It's just...I won't live long enough to do it..."

"What?" Naruto grinned, unable to understand his boyfriend. "Heh, I think what I'm doing is working. Your body isn't as tight as before. Anyway, Sasuke, I was thinking that even if we don't have forever, we should live like we have a forever left. Yeah, you'll probably say something typical of a bastard like 'but then you wouldn't bother to do what you want if you have forever,' but that's where you're wrong! When you live like there's no tomorrow, then you're just kinda scared of the fact you're going to die, but if you live like you have an endless amount of time, then wouldn't we do what we wanted? I mean, yeah, there might not be a tomorrow, but if we live like that, we'll just cry, so we should live like we'll be together forever so we can be happy everyday! I don't know if that makes sense, but...Sasuke?"

The Uchiha's eyes were shut, and his breathing was even. A look of serenity encompassed his features, turning him from the serious Sasuke to an angelic boy. Naruto grinned and twisted his body so he could put his face right in front of the sleeping Sasuke's. He gently pressed his lips to his, careful to not wake him up. A small spark ignited between their lips, but Naruto forced himself to end it there. As he pulled away, Naruto couldn't help but smile at the image of Sasuke sleeping so peacefully.

"Na-ru," he murmured in his sleep, "I...I do love..."

Naruto waited silently for the last word, but it never came. Sighing, he picked up his body as steadily as he could as to not wake him up and sat him in the wheelchair. A quiet snore came out of the Uchiha. The blonde giggled and pushed him along the pathway, returning to the hospital once again.

_He can actually be really cute._

But he never noticed the single tear that slid down his sleeping face.

A/N: More pocky to reviewers! If you're confused as how to Sasuke managed to impregnate Sakura, go watch House M.D. Until next chapter: Nightmare!


	16. Nightmare

A/N: No, even if it seems like it, there are no lemons or limes in this chapter. I'll tell you now that there is a future lime, but I'm not telling you when. Just warning you right now.

DISCLAIMER: This is called fanfiction. Note the 'fan' in fanfiction.

'_**Till Death Do Us Part - Nightmare**_

"Naruto, you idiot! You screwed up our mission at the last second, and we nearly had executed it perfectly too!" Sakura bonked the blond on the head, scowling angrily.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan!" Naruto winced, rubbing his skull. "It's just that we haven't seen Sasuke in forever, and I got kinda distracted while thinking about him..."

The new Team 7 had just disbanded after a mission gone wrong, a mission that took them an extra month to complete rather than just the two weeks is was supposed to take them. The May showers rained incessantly onto the fresh soil and plants outside. The two members left of the original team were strolling around the halls of Konoha hospital, chatting mindlessly.

"That mission might have been our last together for a while," Sakura sighed. "I'm four months pregnant already, and some of the stuff required in this mission was dangerous for the baby. I think I'm going to stick to D-Rank missions after this. Try to work with Sai when I'm not here!"

"But Sakura-chan, it's not Team 7 without you!" Naruto pouted. "I guess if it's for Sasuke's baby, it's more important that you take it easy. I refuse to work with Sai though! He's obsessed with the size of my penis!"

"If you don't work with him, Tsunade-sama will get angry, and who knows what she'll do, not to mention that I'LL be angry," Sakura curled her hand into a fist in front of the blond's face. "Even if he seems to like your male genitalia a lot, work with him please!"

Naruto twitched. "He's worse than the bastard Sasuke is. Hey, we should go see Sasuke now! I bet he'll be happy to see us!"

Maternal love flashed inside her malachite eyes. "Sorry Naruto, I have to go and get some tests done. You know, for the little one right here," she patted her stomach gently. "I'll make sure to go see him later though. I'll see you then, okay?"

Naruto nodded with a smile, and he parted with Sakura. With that he took off towards Sasuke's room, his feet instinctively taking him to his destination.

_I get to see Sasuke agin! He better be happy to see his one and only BOYFRIEND here! God, I've missed him so much._

The blond threw the door to Sasuke's room open. "Hey Sasuke, I'm back, and -"

But the sight before him shut him up, and he could only remain silent. A silver haired jounin occupied the plastic chair beside the bed, and it surprised Naruto to see him there, but that didn't concern him at the moment.

What concerned him was the stranger lying on Sasuke's bed.

An abnormally ashen teenager lay on the sheets, his dull, raven hair messily drawn about his face. His bones were clearly visible beyond his translucent skin, sticking out in an unsightly way. His body was tiny, small compared to the age he seemed to be. A large tube was inside his neck, and smaller ones were up his nostrils. His breathing was feeble, pathetic even, and it matched the slow beeping of the electrocardiogram. His eyes were shut closed with sleep, but his body was twitching as if he were awake. The skin beneath the teenager's eyes was nearly black, and his cheeks were hollow.

_What the hell happened?_

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto gulped, unable to believe it, "where's Sasuke?"

"This is Sasuke," Kakashi replied sadly, the usual nonchalance in his voice gone.

Naruto's large, cerulean eyes widened in horror, his fear almost a tangible object. He could feel in encompassing him, his eyes unmoving from the Uchiha on the bed. Sasuke's lips were quivering involuntarily, and that scared him. "No way...I didn't even recognize him. What the hell happened?"

"He's been like this for the last few weeks," Kakashi put down his book, looking directly at his student, "He was doing well during the first three weeks of your absence. His condition was stable, and he was looking healthy. He seemed to be quite lonely though without your presence, so I tried to get in here on all my days off. I've stayed with him for a few days for the past month and a half, but around the time you were supposed to be back, it seemed like he had lost his reason to live. He was depressed. He didn't respond to anything we said, and he seemed lost in himself."

"What do you mean...?" Naruto's voice came out tiny, barely audible.

"I heard from Shizune-san that he became quite exhausted. He barely had the strength to go through rehabilitation. Even so, he pushed himself through it, and he pushed himself so hard that he collapsed. They tried to stop him, but he refused to stop trying to walk or talk. He's been slipping in and out of consciousness since then. He's never up long enough for us to get a clear word out of him, although he has made sounds. We're afraid his time might be up."

"Wait! That can't be true!" Naruto cried, but he knew it was useless. The proof lay right in front of him, and he couldn't deny it.

_Wake up, wake up, wake up!_

"Sasuke," Naruto fell to his knees, but the fear of Sasuke dying numbed the shock of electricity rising through his legs. He crawled over towards Sasuke and grabbed his fragile hand, the coolness of it chilling him to the bone. "I'm so sorry for leaving you. I swear, I'll never leave you for long again."

A sudden beep went off in the room, startling the poor blond. He glanced over at Kakashi questioningly.

"He had a spike in brain activity, but that's normal," Kakashi explained.

Naruto nodded and turned back to look into the face of his lover. He analyzed the rise and fall of his chest, and he stared at the teenager before him. The disease had marred his beautiful body, cursing him with the scars across his arms from IVs, mangling his feet and back with deformities in his bones, destroying his face with the lack of weight.

"Why are his feet kinda...weirdly shaped?" Naruto sniffed. "It's kinda like his toes are flat..."

"Everything that's happened to him except his heart has been because of spinocerebellar ataxia," Kakashi sighed. "That's why his spine has a curvature to it too."

"Come on, Sasuke," Naruto whimpered, Kakashi's words going through his ears. "Wake up, please! I'm so sorry..."

"Na..." Sasuke whispered, his eyelids fluttering.

'_You loser,' _Sasuke's soft voice echoed within Naruto's mind. _'Get a grip.'_

Naruto blinked, and he suddenly saw the body in front of him as Sasuke. It was Uchiha Sasuke, the one he was madly in love with, the one who was his first friend, the one who accepted him, the one whose face wouldn't leave his mind. Beyond the disfiguration of his body, he saw only the most gorgeous, snobby bastard sleeping there.

Uchiha Sasuke was beautiful to Naruto, even if not to the rest of the world.

"You can do it. Wake up! I love you, and I know you love me too, so please!" Naruto stood on his two legs, bringing his face closer to Sasuke's until their lips met. He pressed gently against the softness of his lips, tears streaming down his face. "Please...for me," he whispered gently, pulling back. He waited for a reaction quietly, praying to God that it wasn't the end.

"Ru-to..." the boy beside him mumbled. Sasuke's eyes cracked open to see the face of his lover and a shadow of a smile appeared on his face. The electrocardiogram began to speed up slightly. "Why..."

"Sasuke!" Naruto felt his heart skip a beat, and he pulled his small body into a hug. "I'm so sorry I was gone, but I screwed up on the mission, and I, I..."

Icy hands pressed against his tanned chest, and Naruto looked down to see Sasuke's head low, his eyes wide in sheer terror. His face was tinged green with nausea.

"Can't see," he managed to cough out before falling back down into the bed.

_WHAT THE HELL!? IS HE BLIND!? WHATTHEHELLWHATTHEHELLWHATTH EHELL!?_

"WHAT!?" Naruto yelled, jumping to his feet. "I gotta get Baa-chan!"

The blond was shocked when he saw Sasuke lift his arm as much as he could, managing to get a grip on Naruto's chocolate colored shirt. He tugged gently as he stared intensely at the bed sheets, pink rising in his cheeks. "Don't."

Naruto turned his head to see Kakashi watching amusedly, a small visible in his eyes. "Oh, so you're awake now, Sasuke? Don't go back to sleep on us now that you have your Naruto with you." The blond flushed, but he grinned when the older man left the room, assumedly to get Tsunade. He lay down on the bed beside Sasuke, shivering slightly from confusion.

"Can...see...again," Sasuke choked out, a look of reassurance in his eyes. Those ashen eyelids of his began to flutter, and he shut his eyes.

"No, Sasuke, stay with me! Don't go back to sleep!" Naruto cried, shaking the boy beside him, but the heart monitor was already slowing.

"But...why..." Sasuke replied quietly, his eyes not opening.

"NO, you gotta stay up!" Naruto screamed, and Sasuke's eyes shot open. "I told you that I love you! You've tried so hard! You can't give up now!"

"Dead-last," he hissed, but his eyes didn't close again.

"Holy crap, what the hell was that blind thing anyway?!" Naruto sighed a breath of relief. "You missed me, didn't you?" Naruto's eyes met Sasuke's, finding them to be glazed over with exhaustion. The Uchiha didn't answer, but the scowl on his face made the answer obvious. "Hey, even if I'm not here, you gotta try your best to live! I'll cheer you on wherever I am, and you better hear it!"

"I want," Sasuke wheezed (Naruto couldn't be sure whether it was the tracheostomy preventing him from speaking properly or if it was just his condition), "to go -," Sasuke mouthed out a word, but no sound came out. Frustrated, he tried again, but not a word escaped those pink lips except for the sound of his breath.

"To the bathroom?" Naruto questioned, trying to guess at where Sasuke wanted to go. When the ill boy shook his head, Naruto tried again. "Outside?" When he shook his head again, the blond racked his brain for an answer.

_He can't even say some words anymore...There's nowhere else really where he could want to go either...Oh, I know!_

"Home?"

Sasuke finally nodded as the door swung open. Tsunade stepped inside, obviously apprehensive, but she calmed at the sight of the boy she considered a son in bed with his boyfriend. "So, Kakashi told me that you woke up!" She stepped forward until she was right beside the two. "He told me that you were experiencing blindness, but that seems to be a no-go. Get out of bed, Naruto. I need to examine him, but you can spend some more time with him later."

"I can't stay with him?" Naruto complained. He trudged out of the room, muttering, "Take good care of him, Baa-chan!"

Time passed. Naruto felt himself dozing off when the door beside him flew open, and he jolted awake. Tsunade stood before him, a vague look of disapproval on her face as she shut the door.

"Naruto, he wants a home visit," Tsunade sighed. "Do you know why?"

"Because he wants to go home?" Naruto replied dumbly, missing the point.

"Next week is the anniversary of his clan's death. He probably wants to visit their grave once more."

Naruto felt shivers run up his spine at the mention of the Uchiha massacre. Even worse, he felt himself not completely against the idea that it could be his last chance to visit.

_No way...I'm not accepting that he's going to die, right? I'll give him the pill for sure, but only when I'm sure that it's the right time. _

"Can I take him? Home, I mean!" Naruto asked, anxiety filling his heart.

Tsunade sighed. "He's been slipping in and out of consciousness as Kakashi explained to you. He seems to be responding now, but he's quite tired, so there's no guarantee he'll stay awake. He's suffering from orthostatic hypotension and -"

"Hold up," Naruto interrupted. "I don't understand what the hell you're saying."

"Okay," she twitched. "You know when you stand up and sometimes feel weird, dizzy, or can't see?"

"YEAH!" Naruto exclaimed. That happens when I wake up in the morning and get up!

"Well, that's what he has," Tsunade explained. "He gets nausea, a headache, numbness, and feels dizzy whenever he sits up. That temporary blindness is a part of it too."

"Oh, I get it now!" Naruto beamed. "Can you fix it?"

"Medication will work," Tsunade replied. "We'll make sure he takes it, and then he should be good to go. If he seems to be in good condition, then you can take him home for the day next week. If he gets emotional over the loss of his family, he may end up having a seizure, so don't leave him alone."

"That's great!" Naruto flashed a smile. "It's scary when he gets seizures though...I really hope he doesn't."

"I'll have Sakura replace some of your old medications at his house with new ones in case something happens. Also, I've looked more at the medication she made, and I've made a few changes to it. The chance of living is still the same, but he may live for as long as an hour rather than only a few minutes. There'll be no way of telling if it worked until he dies or not."

Naruto gave out a little on the inside, but he plastered a smile onto his face anyway. "I guess that's good if he'll be able to be happy a little longer! Plus, I have faith in you and Sakura-chan to save him in time, so I'm not too worried!"

"Naruto," she smiled back maternally, "I guess I really will have to put you on shorter missions. Sasuke finally convinced me with that unconscious episode that he needs you, and quite frankly, you need him. He woke up to a kiss I heard."

Naruto blushed, waves of heat radiating from his scarlet face. "Yeah, well, we got lucky. It seems kinda cliche when you put it that way though."

"The reason he fell into a near coma was because you weren't there, so it makes sense," the Hokage winked. "He was dying of a broken heart. He must missed you terribly."

* * *

"All right, Sasuke, here we are!" Naruto paused in his tracks, steps away from the Uchiha gravestone. "We're lucky that baa-chan gave us approval for this! Well, even if she hadn't, I would have taken you anyway!"

In all honesty, Naruto was pissed off. Sasuke was having a hard time keeping his neck from shaking, so the villagers had been staring at them as they headed to the Uchiha complex. Whispers of 'faggot,' 'fruitcake,' and 'homos' reached their ears; someone obviously leaked the fact that they were somewhat dating. Even though Sasuke was evidently angry and hurt by their hateful comments, he had kept his head high as he pushed the joystick on his wheelchair. Naruto had been about to scream at everyone when he saw the determination left in Sasuke's endless black eyes. Instead he had forced himself to ignore them and bite his lip to keep his cool.

Sasuke grunted in response to Naruto, shivering in his black sweater. He bowed his head low and shut his eyes, bringing his hands together in prayer. Naruto's eyes were glassy with tears as he looked at the smooth, silver stone with countless names engraved in it.

"Hey Mr. Uchiha, Mrs. Uchiha," Naruto mumbled. "It's so nice to meet Sasuke's family. It must have been tough to loose you guys. I can't quite understand the pain of losing someone related to you, but I know what it's like when the person you love is in danger of dying," he gulped, glancing down at the first friend he ever had praying in the wheel chair. He crouched down until he was at eye level with Sasuke, and he put his arm around his thin frame. "I don't want to be separated from him," he whispered into the teen's pale ear, causing Sasuke to jerk upright.

"Idiot," he hissed.

"Ha," Naruto danced his fingers across Sasuke's pale hands. "We should head inside. You know, if you want to just see your house again."

Sasuke nodded in approval before the blond took a hold of the handles on the wheelchair and moved in the direction of one of the several buildings. "I don't know what we're gonna do," Naruto chatted idly. "It's a motorized wheelchair, so it's bigger and heavier than the last one. I dunno if it's gonna fit inside."

Sasuke shook his head, well aware that he couldn't maneuver himself inside with a motorized wheelchair. His eyes suddenly widened, and he waved his hand as fast as he could in front of his face, looking like he was awkwardly moving his arms robotically.

"What's wrong?" Naruto's breath hitched in his throat.

"Blurry," he shook his head unsuccessfully, and he shut his eyes.

The blond bit his lip, knowing that problems with vision were also a part of what he was going through. "I'll carry you," Naruto offered. "That'll be fun! Hey, I know they don't have baths at the hospital which kinda sucks, so we should take a bath together here!"

The Uchiha lifted an eyebrow, his mouth unable to flash his trademark smirk. Naruto grinned and paused outside the building that Sasuke had lived in for so many years. Crouching down, he put his arms around his torso and lifted him up into his arms. Sasuke's mouth was turned into a frown, and he knew his pride and dignity had been shot. Naruto ignored that fact, and he stepped into the Uchiha home.

"Which way is the bath again?" Naruto asked stupidly while keeping Sasuke in his arms, bridal style. Sasuke lifted a pale arm shakily, pointing to the left.

"I thought you lived here," Sasuke droned, struggling to speak. "Don't you bathe?"

Naruto frowned. "Of COURSE I do! I bet I take more baths than you!"

_God, he speaks so slowly. I don't really care, I mean, I'll take the time to listen to him, but it's kinda sad..._

"You do," Sasuke scowled, looking away.

_Oh crap, I hope I didn't hit a land mine. I just remembered that they can't take baths at the hospital..._

The genin strolled down the halls until he finally pulled open a door he thought might be the one to the bathroom. A traditional Japanese bath took up most of the room, grander than anything. It was large and smooth, plated with gold. Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE BATHROOM!?" the future Hokage gaped. "I've been using that dinky one the entire time too!"

"Bigger," Sasuke gasped. "For us."

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, but I'm gonna have to set you down on the floor while I get the bath ready." He kneeled down to sit Sasuke comfortably on the ground. The disease stricken male averted his eyes from Naruto's face, embarrassment holding him in its grip.

"It's okay. I don't really mind, so you shouldn't either," Naruto grinned, pulling Sasuke's head forward into a kiss. He tasted his lips, those cool, sweet lips of his. Sasuke's mouth twitched into a smile, but he refused to reciprocate.

"Why?" Naruto whined. "Why don't you ever kiss me back? It's not like it's the first time we've kissed or anything, and if you don't like it, you could just tell me. Kiss me back already!"

Sasuke spoke a flush of words, but they sounded merged together, incomprehensible. Naruto frowned, picking up on what Sasuke meant. "What do you mean by 'it's not that easy'? All you have to do is kiss back! I know that you can still kiss me, even if your body won't cooperate with you. You're not dead." At the lack of response, Naruto stood and turned the tap on for the bath, letting the cool liquid fill the tub. He stripped himself of his clothes and threw them onto the tiled floor, leaving himself only in his emerald boxers. He hastily plugged the drain just before the water spilled over.

"Hey, Sasuke, I see that this tub is massive and you picked it out just for the two of us. Are you horny or something?" Naruto turned around to meet his boyfriend's eyes, smirking pervertedly. Sasuke didn't respond; the only movement he made was his hands grabbing at his shirt, so Naruto continued. "Do you want me to help take your clothes off?"

"Trying," Sasuke muttered angrily.

_Seriously, in all the time it took me to fill this huge tub and strip, he only managed to grab at his shirt?_

"I'll do it," Naruto grinned, sliding on his knees to Sasuke's side. He scowled, but the blond lifted his shirt up and threw it into the pile of his own clothes. Smirking, Naruto felt his torso with his fingers, and he ran down his body until he reached the top of his pants. He undid the button and slipped them off, throwing them back too. Sasuke blushed embarrassedly as he was left in navy boxers. Naruto swiftly pulled off his boxers, leaving him nude. Naruto grinned, and he knew he was going to have some fun that night. He picked up the feather-light teenager and walked over to the bath, placing him inside. Just as Naruto was about to strip what was left of his clothing and get in too, a lightbulb went off in his head.

"Hey, do you have bubble bath or something somewhere?" he asked excitedly.

"Other bathroom," Sasuke exhaled, relaxing in the tub. Naruto only stared into Sasuke's entrancing eyes; the sight of his neck straining to hold his head up bothered him. With a smile, he ran out of the room to search for the bubble bath he so desperately thought would be fun.

_This is going to be so much fun! I'll pour the whole thing into the bath, and then the bubbles will overflow, and then I'll throw them at Sasuke's head! I'll let him hit me with a few just so he won't feel too bad, but I'll completely own him at it!_

After a few minutes of running over to the bathroom on the other side of the house, scavenging for materials. He raided every cupboard he could get into and tore out all the bottles of baths soaps and salts. After gathering an armful of products and running back to the other side of the house, Naruto burst inside the bathroom and threw all the products of his search onto the floor.

"SASUKE, I GOT BUBBLES!" he cheered. He expected Sasuke to at least try to smile, give him a dirty look, or call him an idiot.

What he didn't expect was to see the bath water red and a body turned upside down in it.

_Blood._

"SASUKE!" Naruto screamed, his chakra going wild. He plunged his hands into the water and clutched Sasuke's body pulling him out onto the cold floor. A gash was carved into his head, leaking blood, and his skin was tinged blue.

_Oh CRAP, how long was I gone? He's not dead, he's not dead, he's not dead, he CAN'T be dead! How did this even happen? It's not like something fell on his head or anything!_

Naruto brought two fingers to the side of Sasuke's neck, searching for a pulse, but there was nothing. Ice flushed down his body, causing him to tremble in fear. He unleashed more of his chakra, hoping Sakura would arrive at any moment. Automatically, Naruto's tanned hands moved to Sasuke's chest and pressed hard over and over again. He stopped after thirty compressions and tilted his icy head up, breathing into his mouth. Again he pressed deeply onto his chest, desperately trying to wake him.

It felt like an eternity of compressing and breathing. Naruto felt tears well up into his eyes, and he pounded at the Uchiha's chest with his fist. "WAKE UP! WAKE UP, DAMMIT!" He hammered at his chest furiously, not even able to hear the sounds of Sasuke's bones cracking.

"Naruto, stop it!" soft hands grabbed at Naruto's and restrained him, pushing him aside. Sakura took a quick look at Sasuke and sprang into action. Bringing her hands to his chest, she electrocuted him with a burst of chakra, his naked body jolting. Naruto could only watch, and he brought a hand to his head in fear. He could feel a headache coming on, a splitting migraine in fact.

"Sakura-chan, I don't even know what happened, I mean, I just left Sasuke in the bath to get some bubbles, and he was like this when I got back, and I guess this is all my fault, and-"

"It's okay, Naruto; it wasn't your fault," Sakura shook her head while in the process of healing the wound on Sasuke's temple. "Can you just get him some clothes?"

"What happened though?" Naruto shook, recovering from the shock of what had happened.

"From the looks of it, he probably tried to stand up, but he fell and hit his head on the side of the bath. He fell unconscious and almost drowned. If it weren't for you, Sasuke-kun probably would be dead. You kept his heart beating for him, although you broke a few ribs in the process. He's breathing right now, but he's going to have to go back to the hospital. You couldn't have been gone that long, so there probably is no brain damage."

"Thank God," Naruto sighed. "I'll go get him some clothes, and then I guess -"

"Oh crap."

"What?"

Sakura turned Sasuke's limp body on it's side, and a thick, crimson substance dribbled from his mouth. "Naruto, I think you hit his heart too hard. You can't do something like that! I went through his medical history, and I never brought this up, but Sasuke-kun was born two months early. He nearly died as a baby, but the doctors here managed to save him. It explains his heart defect and why he has some other problems with his body. SPC's cause isn't known, but it's safe to link it to the fact that he's defected. That's why he gets cold easily, why his heart condition isn't spectacular, possibly why he even got this disease! You can't just pound at his body like that!"

"This is," Naruto's eyes widened, "my fault?"

"No, it's not!" Sakura cried. "It's just..."

"I'll get him some clothes," Naruto resigned.

Sakura nodded. "After that, I think we should let him rest here before I take him to the hospital. Even though I've given him first aid, it's not safe to move him without the proper medication. I think I might get a stretcher so we can move him easier."

The blond walked out of the bathroom and headed into Sasuke's room, raiding it for some clothes. He pieced together a navy shirt and dark pants, as well as a pair of boxers. Heading back into the bathroom, he dressed Sasuke while being careful to avoid downright staring at his crotch, and carried him back to his room. Laying him down gently, he stared at his unmoving body, save for the small rise and fall of his chest.

"Sasuke..." Naruto trailed off, gazing down at the small body before him. He took his hand in his own and squeezed, praying to God or whoever was listening to grant Sasuke another chance at life. As he prayed incessantly, he felt the bony hand reciprocate. Naruto glanced up at Sasuke's face, only to find him with his mouth open, air coming out as if he were trying to say something.

"Can't...even...stand...Na..."

Naruto felt a part of him die with Sasuke's ability to walk, and it left him hollow and frozen. He gazed at the teenager, unsure if he was asleep or awake.

"Ta...chi..." he said softly. "Stop..." An airy sound came out of his mouth, and Naruto's eyes widened in absolute horror.

_He's trying to scream. He's having a nightmare about that man, his brother, Itachi! I swear, I'll kill him for Sasuke! Sasuke's stuck in the past...he hasn't even moved on at all. All I ever wanted was for him to love me, for him to accept that there's more to life than revenge. Have I done anything at all? _

"It's okay, Sasuke. We're here," Naruto whispered gently. "You don't have to think about him anymore. Just...be happy."

_Is this all his life has been reduced to? Was it really worth for me to save his life?...Of course it was! Wasn't it!? Sasuke is gonna get better...there's the medicine Sakura gave me._

_Should I give it to him now?_

A/N: Pocky to reviewers! By the way, I'm certified in CPR, so yes, a person can break an unconscious victim's ribs through CPR. We're going to approach the climax next chapter...woot. Until next chapter: Identity.


	17. Identity

A/N: Ooh, fast update! This was originally going to be another character development chapter, but I decided that I've held out on this long enough. The chapter is rather short, but it needs to be short. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: If I owned Naruto, Sasuke would have shown up by now in the manga ._. It's been forever since we last saw him...

"Hey Sasuke, I'm back!"

Sasuke's eyes moved sluggishly to watch his boyfriend burst into the room clumsily. Naruto grinned just at the sight of his boyfriend lying on the hospital cot, even if it pained him to see him in such a state. A small, retractable table with a glass chart of letters on top of it occupied the bed over where Sasuke's legs lay, so the blond took a seat in the chair.

"I really missed you while on my missions, so I made sure to do my best to get here as soon as I could! It's been what, two weeks? Me, Yamato-taichou, Sai, and Ino went on this cool mission where we had to do geographical surveying in this really weird landscape, and then we got attacked by these ninja! I beat them obviously, but then Sai was going on about my dick size again! He's so creepy! He was like, 'OH, DO YOU EVEN HAVE A PENIS?' I swear, one of these days he's gonna try to grab for my dick to see if I have one, and he'll try to seduce me! That will never happen because I have you though!" Naruto babbled as he smiled down at Sasuke.

Sasuke lay flat in bed, a tube trailing into his arm that was attached to an IV. His mouth and nose were covered with a breathing mask. He attempted a smirk for Naruto beneath it, but his face only twitched. He lifted an arm miserably and pointed to the chart.

"Oh, sorry," Naruto smiled sheepishly, reaching over for the chart. "I forgot that you can't really talk anymore..." He lifted it and set it up so it stood on its own. Sasuke nodded, but his head shook oddly, giving him the effect of a bobble head. His trembling hand reached over to the chart and pointed at the letter 'I'. He retracted his pale finger slightly and made his way to the letter 'D', pressing firmly on it while trailing over the wrong letters accidentally. He tried to push harder on the correct letters to make it easier to tell what he wanted to say, but it was tedious. It was a long process, but he was finally able to spell out the word 'idiot'.

"You're so mean, Sasuke!" Naruto pouted, keeping his happy facade up.

_It's been a while since that incident, the one where Sasuke kinda died for a bit. Sasuke got a lot worse after that, but he lived. He even had a seizure when Sakura-chan and I got him to the hospital...He hasn't talked since then. He can occasionally make sounds, but that's if we're lucky._

_I miss his voice._

"Hey, your birthday is tomorrow, right?" Naruto chatted away. "Sixteen...we've known each other since we were kids, but not really until we were twelve. We're all turning sixteen now! Time flies, right? I got you a present, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow!"

"Naruto, it's late! Let Sasuke-kun sleep!" Sakura entered the room, shutting the door behind her. She stood with her hands on her hips, her stomach jutting out noticeably.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto gasped. "YOU GOT FAT!"

"NO, YOU IDIOT!" Sakura grabbed Naruto by the shirt. "YOU KNOW THAT I'M PREGNANT! THAT'S SEVEN MONTHS PREGNANT FOR YOU! HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW THAT!? I EVEN LIVE WITH YOU!"

_Note to self; do not get pregnant women angry!_

"Eh, sorry, Sakura-chan!" Naruto blushed. "I was joking!"

"Anyway," she continued nonchalantly, "I came here to do a little bit of work on Sasuke." She moved to his bedside and put her hands by Sasuke's legs, pumping out chakra. His muscles seemed to grow a little, making his body look less sickly.

"Sakura-chan, did you get a cure?!" Naruto gasped.

"No," she sighed as she followed the same process with his arms, "but this might allow him to move a little bit more with the amount of cerebellum he has left. Things aren't looking good, but I can at least do this much for him. Anyway, I need to speak with you alone. It's getting late anyway, so leave Sasuke-kun alone!"

"Gah, fine," Naruto muttered, standing to leave. "I'll come back later, Sasuke!" The Uchiha nodded, his fingers flexing involuntarily due to his disease. The blond exited the room with Sakura, and the medical ninja turned to face him seriously after shutting the door.

"Naruto, he's dying."

"What?"

"Look at him!" Sakura frowned, twisting the necklace of the Uchiha clan symbol on her neck. "He can't even feed himself anymore. Last time he tried to eat, you were on a mission, and it took him three hours. Three _freaking _hours to eat chicken soup with my help, and then he ended up choking. We have to feed him intravenously now! I don't know if he's going to make it in time for Mioku's birth. Even if he does, he'll never be able to hold him!" she leaned against the wall and put a hand to her forehead. "He can't inhale enough oxygen either, so I gave him a breathing mask. I don't want to do something long term because I don't think it's fair for him to live like this! Naruto, you have the pill on you, don't you? I never told Sasuke-kun about it because I knew he would try to use it right away, but you're going to have to use it soon," Sakura sniffed, her eyes watering. "We're out of options. Sasuke can barely do anything anymore, and we're not even close to finding a proper cure. The only thing Sasuke does now is sleep or write."

"Write?" Naruto coughed.

"Yeah, I give him a thick black marker whenever he wants to write. It's the only one he can manage to hold. He has to grip it with both hands and his writing is barely legible, but it's the only thing he can really do anymore. He has that journal you brought from his house, but he's near the end of it because of how huge his writing is," Sakura sighed. "To think he used to have the nicest script writing I had ever seen...It only makes me think even more that the pill is the only option left. I even pumped his muscles up temporarily so when you give it to him, he should be able to move perfectly. In other words, his muscles are no longer atrophied, but medical ninjutsu isn't a miracle worker. It's only temporary, so I suggest you give him the pill sooner than later. If you're planning on letting him live until the end, we're going to have to do surgery so we can insert a tube into his stomach to feed him."

Naruto shivered involuntarily, his brain trying to process what Sakura was explaining.

_Why didn't I use the back then when he nearly died on the floor?_

_Am I scared?_

_He never even told me that he writes...but I guess he never liked to share things with me anyway. That bastard._

"I swear, I will, Sakura-chan!" Naruto assured her, fiddling with the medication bottle in his jumpsuit pocket. He turned his head to stare out the window, the sky overcast and black. Rain fell quietly to the ground, and it only made Naruto feel worse about himself. "I'm just waiting for the right time."

_The rain is kinda sad, but it's a good thing. It makes things live. I'm making Sasuke live against his will, and it's not really fair...he seems to be so bad, and he's not getting any better..._

"I just don't want to see him suffer anymore," Sakura brought her hands to her stomach. "I want him to be happy. It's so hard to see him like this, and I'm not as optimistic as you are. Here," she grabbed the jinchuuriki's hand and placed it on her oversized stomach. "Can you feel him kicking?"

Naruto's tanned hand suddenly felt something kick out at Sakura's stomach, something like, well, a kick. He gasped and stared at Sakura. "THAT'S SO COOL! Come on, let's go back and let Sasuke feel it!"

"I guess he'd like that!" Sakura smiled vaguely. "Let's go!"

Naruto exploded into Sasuke's room, jolting the older teenager awake. His dark eyes stared at the duo, a quiet amusement lying behind them.

"HERE, SASUKE!" the blond yelled, grabbing his bony hand and practically hitting it against Sakura's stomach. Sasuke blinked in pain, but Naruto noticed something in his eyes. As the small thump hit Sasuke's hands, Naruto could see it.

It was happiness.

"Isn't it amazing?" Naruto grinned. "Sakura actually has something living inside of her, and it's your kid!"

Sasuke's eyes mesmerized Naruto. Within the eternal black was a small hint of warmth, a single flame of life. They showed such peace, an emotion Naruto had never quite seen from the Uchiha before. He removed his hand, but a light glow tinted his features.

"Hey, Sasuke, it's raining!" Naruto mentioned. "Sakura-chan, can I take him outside? I know it's late, but we promised to walk in the rain together..."

Sakura eyed him menacingly. "Naruto, you know he could get pneumonia again from being outside."

"I know, I know!" Naruto replied loudly. "I won't take him out in the rain! We'll just stay underneath that roof thing by the door, you know? He can wear a sweater and a blanket too! I just want to fulfill our promise to do this, that's all."

Sakura shook her head in disbelief, "I can't believe I'm going to let you do this. I'll give you guys some time in the garden alone, but that's it. You better be back here in good time! It's getting late, and I'm going back to Sasuke's place. Don't make me check up on you!"

Naruto nodded, "Of course!"

* * *

The hallway was dark as Sasuke and Naruto made their way towards the garden. The lights were off, and only the lightning lit up their path. Sasuke managed to push his wheelchair's joystick with his finger as Naruto walked beside him. A thick, black blanket lay on Sasuke's lap, the letter board resting on top. When they reached the thick doors to the outside garden, Naruto pressed the button on the side to make the door automatically open for them. Sasuke nodded, and they entered the dark, miserable landscape together.

The thunder boomed in the distance as the two rested beneath the awning, watching the rain fall in droplets in front of them. Naruto crouched down and rested his head on Sasuke's shoulder, not daring to put his full weight on it.

"Even though it's stormy, it's still kinda nice out here, just the two of us," Naruto turned to look into Sasuke's eyes. "I don't know about you, but I think it's kinda peaceful. Rain makes some people feel sad because they think the sky is crying. Maybe the sky is crying, but isn't is also giving birth to new life? It waters plants and stuff."

The sick teenager lifted an arm and pointed sluggishly at the letter chart, so Naruto picked it up and held it. Sasuke pointed at a series of letters, slowly making his sentence. It took what seemed like forever, but he eventually spelled his thoughts.

'I'm sorry.'

"You're sorry?" Naruto gasped. "What for? You didn't do anything!"

_Sorry? The Great Sasuke Uchiha apologizing? He must feel really beaten down to admit something like that, but he never even did anything!_

B-U-R-D-E-N was the next word Sasuke spelled. Naruto frowned and took Sasuke's hands. "Know that you'll never be a burden to me. I don't care if you can't do things other people can. I don't care if you can't walk or talk. I don't care about ANY of that! I love you, so I'm gonna protect you forever!"

_He's gotta feel like he has no dignity if he's willing to apologize. Sasuke..._

Sasuke's lips twitched. He raised his arm yet again and went through the painfully long process of communicating. 'Who am I' was his next sentence, and he gazed at Naruto sadly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the blond tried to laugh it off, but he knew that the question was important to Sasuke, so he stared back seriously. "You're Uchiha Sasuke! You're a bastard, but I know your secret! You're actually quite caring deep inside, but you won't admit it! Being in a wheelchair or not being able to do stuff doesn't define you; it's the stuff you _can_ do and the person you are that makes you you!"

"Hn," Sasuke managed to grunt, smirking slightly. Naruto beamed at the sound of Sasuke's voice, no matter how small it was.

"So..." Naruto spoke up. "Do you really still want me to kill you?"

Sasuke stared deep into Naruto's sky blue eyes, and he pointed once again at the board. 'Yes,' he communicated after a minute of pushing on the letters. 'but, it was worth living.'

The blond's eyes teared up at the sight of those words, no matter how long it took for them to be communicated.

_All I ever really wanted to try to do was to make Sasuke see that living has some meaning, and I think I succeeded. He said it was worth living! That's probably as much as I'll ever get out of the bastard! If he wants me to kill him..._

_Maybe it's time. _

_I think he's kinda at peace with himself right now, and if he's happy to have lived, then it's my duty as his friend...because no ninja wants to lose out to disease. Ninja want to die in battle or of old age. With an ego like Sasuke's, I guess it really applies to him!_

Naruto fiddled around with the medication in his pocket a little longer before sighing. He knew that there would be no better chance than this one. He inhaled deeply as the thunder echoed.

"Sasuke, Sakura-chan gave me a medication. If you take it, you only have a five percent chance of living, but you'll gain full body movement again for about an hour. We won't know if it worked or not until you live or die. Did you want to try it?"

A mix of feelings flashed through Sasuke's eyes, from joy to sadness to anger, but they were quickly covered by his own emotional wall. He nodded, a serene look of peace on his visage. It would have been a perfect photo, but Sasuke's trembling head ruined it.

Naruto smiled sadly, fully understanding that this could be his last hour with his best friend. There would be no tomorrow if the medication didn't work. He grabbed the medicine out of his pocket and popped the cap open, rolling the purple pill into his hand.

"Dammit, I don't remember how I'm supposed to give it to you!" Naruto admitted. "I think I'm supposed to crack it open, but I don't remember what to do after that..."

_DAMMIT. I forget at the most critical moment!? What happens if I give it to him wrong and really kill him!? There's no label on the bottle either..._

"Should I go get Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. Sasuke shook his head and pleaded with his eyes for him to not go. The intense black shone with the lightning, and Naruto could practically feel Sasuke's vulnerability, something he thought he would never feel.

"Okay then," Naruto understood and took the pill with both hands. He snapped it in half, it's contents dumping itself into Naruto's hands. The blond couldn't really see the powder well because of the darkness, but he trusted that it would do the job.

_I just have to believe that there's gonna be a miracle! This will not kill Sasuke! It's going to make him better, and then we'll grow old together, and we'll be super happy!_

"Open your mouth," Naruto commanded. Sasuke managed to move his jaw, opening his mouth slowly. Naruto cupped his hand and put it to Sasuke's face, draining his hand of all the substance. When he could no longer feel the powder, he quickly removed his hand and stared at Sasuke's face.

Sasuke's black eyes were wide open in surprise as he felt the powder dissolve on his palette, and the blood seemed to drain from his face. His muscles tensed and his neck fell back, leaving him helpless.

"OH CRAP, SASUKE!" Naruto quickly put his arms around Sasuke's torso and jumped down the cement steps onto the grass. He let go of his body just as Sasuke began convulsing violently. The rain poured incessantly, soaking them, and Naruto could only stare at Sasuke. Foam dribbled out of the Uchiha's mouth as his limbs jerked endlessly, crashing to the muddy ground. Naruto winced as Sasuke's back arched unnaturally. No matter how many times Sasuke had a seizure, it was still scary for Naruto to watch. He began to get anxious when Sasuke didn't stop seizing, his neck seemingly about to snap.

"Sasuke...oh crap, your seizure's been going on forever. I need to get Sakura-chan!" Naruto paced back and forth. "But I can't leave you alone..."

Suddenly, Sasuke's body ceased to move. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, and he sat down on the muddy, broken ground with the unconscious Sasuke. "I was getting worried! I'm so glad you're o-"

The blond was cut off by a sudden whack to his arm. He turned to see that the Uchiha was once again seizing, his limbs kicking out crazily. His fragile body seemed like it would break itself by pounding against the ground. Naruto's breath hitched in his throat as he saw the whites of Sasuke's eyes. He moved back as Sasuke's fist nearly punched him in the face.

_OH CRAP, DID I SCREW UP?_

_I KILLED SASUKE._

The seizure seemed to go on forever. Naruto was nearly in tears when Sasuke finished seizing, and his body collapsed unevenly onto the ground. Naruto whimpered and edged closer to Sasuke, making sure he wouldn't seize again.

Time passed, and Sasuke's body remained unmoving.

"Sasuke...wake up!" Naruto's body gave up on him, and he fell forward, his head inches from the wet ground. "Don't tell me I actually killed you! I figured you'd wake up for the hour, not just live for the hour! I must have screwed up if you went into seizures for that long! I never got the chance to make you kiss me back...I never got to hear you tell me that you love me..." his sapphire eyes became shiny with tears as he pounded at the ground. "THIS ISN'T FAIR!"

"Hn, you idiot. Get a grip."

"Wha-" Naruto sat himself up, and utter shock shot through his system. He felt his brain shut down as he gazed at the sight in front of him.

Uchiha Sasuke stood before him, one hand on his hip, the other hand outstretched towards the Uzumaki. A smirk beheld his face, one that had simple joy rather than arrogance behind it.

"Wake up, loser. I'm alive."

A/N: OMG, is Sasuke finally better? Or will the next chapter be his end? Read the next chapter to find out whether he lives or dies when it's up; Sanctuary!


	18. Sanctuary

A/N: I love you guys so much :3. I checked my email and ended up with my inbox quite full of reviews, alerts, and favorites. It made me really happy! My work has paid off I think.

Itadakimasu is what the Japanese say before eating a meal, just in case you didn't know. Also, when the melody is played, when I wrote this, I had "Grief and Sorrow/Hokage's Funeral" in mind from the Naruto soundtrack.

DISCLAIMER: The Naruto series belongs to none other than Masashi Kishimoto-sensei himself.

* * *

"Wake up, loser. I'm alive."

Naruto's brain whirled and crashed, smoke practically steaming out of his ears. He knew he was gawking in an unsightly way, but he couldn't help himself. All he could manage to do was to feel warmth, this strange warmth that enveloped him from inside out, as he gazed up at Sasuke's nearly smiling face.

"Are you going to lie down there all day?" Sasuke smirked. "Get up before I leave you here."

Naruto nodded numbly, grabbing Sasuke's outstretched hand. The older boy pulled the blond up, the lightning flashing in the black-blue sky. It illuminated Sasuke's charcoal eyes, and he recognized a series of emotions passing through them, ranging from shock to betrayal, from anger to...

Love?

"You-you're..." Naruto stuttered, "you're okay."

"You told me yourself that I'd have at least an hour to live with my body working," Sasuke ran his fingers through his rain soaked hair. "I don't see why you're so surprised."

Sasuke's smooth voice sank into Naruto's ears, and his mind jolted awake, this time overloading with electricity. The image of Sasuke standing in the rain made his jaw drop from some sort of strangely hot feeling. His heart beat almost deafeningly inside his chest, and he felt like it would explode.

_Oh God, he's okay...he's good again. I can't quite understand what this is, but I've never felt so much heat before while just looking at him, talking to him, being with him...He can move again, talk again, be himself again! I'm so happy, but I feel so numb...I never imagined I could feel like this._

"Sasuke," Naruto stammered, "I can't help it...I think I'm crying, but I can't tell. I'm just so happy right now!" the blond rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. "I just never knew how...Hey, where are you going!?" Naruto had never even noticed that Sasuke had walked away towards the hospital doors, ignoring the blond the whole time. His hand was already on the handle, but he paused at the sound of Naruto's voice.

"Hn, I thought it was obvious. I'm getting out of here. I'm just grabbing some of my stuff."

"You're leaving just like that!?" Naruto gasped. "But what if the medicine...nah, it will work, but..."

"What did you expect me to do here?" the Uchiha replied dryly. His somewhat content demeanor suddenly darkened. "You said that there would be no way to tell if it worked until I die or not."

"Wait, what do -"

"Goodbye, Naruto."

Sasuke disappeared through the hospital doors, not even bothering to turn around to meet Naruto's eyes. Naruto stood there dumbly, the rain pouring onto his cool, yet flushed skin. His senses numbed again, and his mind contorted itself in trying to make sense of everything. It had only been moments ago that Sasuke was unable to talk or walk, forced to sit in a wheelchair, barely able to even breathe, and now he had just walked away with a smirk on his face. With his mouth slightly agape, Naruto didn't even know what to think of everything. Naruto didn't know how long it had been when his senses finally thawed and reactivated. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, as the thunder crashed, Naruto scrambled forward and burst open the hospital doors.

"SASUKE!" he screamed, praying that he wasn't too late to find Sasuke.

_It couldn't have been too long that he left, right!? Besides, he couldn't have gotten too far away if he just started walking again. I need to find him and...and..._

"Sasuke?" the blond paused outside the Uchiha's hospital room when he found the door left open.

_I'm pretty sure I closed it when I left with Sasuke..._

Nothing in the room seemed out of place except for the disappeared presence of the dying boy that usually lay on the bed. Naruto bit his lip as he entered the room and opened the drawer of the small cabinet, only to find everything in order. A black journal and a thick marker were neatly sitting beside each other within it.

Naruto swore lightly, "Crap." He quickly examined his surroundings again before continuing his search to see if anything was missing. He opened the bottom drawer of the cabinet, and his eyes widened. The bamboo flute that Sakura had once given him had vanished along with the photo album the jinchuuriki had made. Naruto felt a feeling of terror and anxiety run though him.

_How could I have been so stupid as to let Sasuke get away!? Sure, he seems fine now, but...what if..._

Naruto hurried out of the hospital room and down the empty corridors, rushing to the exit. He threw the hospital doors open to welcome in the howling wind from outside. Running as quickly as possible, the rain drenched his body until he was nearly blinded by water and could no longer see what was in his path. Few lights were on in the houses up ahead, only making it harder to see. Regardless, the blond dashed forward.

"SASUKE!" he screamed, hoping for some sort of response. When nothing but the shrieks of the wind answered, he called out his name again and again, continuously as he fought against the wind and the rain.

"Stop following me!" a dark, handsome voice yelled out in return, so sweet, yet so icy.

Naruto squinted through the pouring rain. With the flash of the lightning, he could make out Sasuke's slender figure in the distance, running with his sweater in his arms. A plain black shirt hung loosely on his frame. Naruto growled and pounced forward, willing himself to outrun Sasuke, not taking the time to be in awe of Sasuke's ability to run.

"Why the hell do you keep on running away from me, bastard!?" Naruto screamed. "Why do you have such a hard time letting me in!? It's like you let me through to you for a moment, and then you get scared and shut yourself up again! Stop it!"

"What the hell do you know about me!?" Sasuke cried. The blond was gaining on him, and they both knew it.

"Stop running away from everything and maybe I'll tell you, bastard!" He was only inches away from him, not too far away, he could make it on time...

As if on cue, Sasuke's legs stopped cooperating with him. His feet tumbled over each other and his body slammed against the ground, splashing in the rain puddle.

Naruto cursed loudly as he slid onto his knees to Sasuke's side. "Sasuke, are you okay!?" he asked furiously. He got a hold of Sasuke's torso and sat him up, leaning his body against his chest. His hands went numb as his fingers touched Sasuke's flawless, cool skin. "Answer me, god dammit!" he practically pleaded.

Sasuke's sleek inky hair covered his face, shielding whatever emotions he was feeling from Naruto. His body leaned back into Naruto's muscular body, but was tense and stiff. He still had a tight grip on his sweater, an object or two bulging out of its insides.

"Why do you keep on running away from me!?" Naruto questioned. "Hasn't anything we've done together meant anything to you!? I know that you care for me, and I'm sure as hell that I care about you, so why don't you just let me in already!?" The blond waited for some sort of response, but all he heard was the sound of the droplets of water falling from the sky. "Whenever I say something like this, it gets to you a bit, and then for once it's like you actually show that you care, but then, what? You get scared and run away from me?"

"It's none of your concern," Sasuke muttered.

"HEY, it IS my concern! Sasuke, you know that out of everyone I'm the one who never goes back on my word, and I swore to you that I'd take care of you! I'm not gonna hurt you, so stop trying to escape from yourself, from me, you bastard!"

The Uchiha remained silent after Naruto's speech. The blond took notice that his back seemed to loosen up, and his body relaxed into his own chest. He took that as a good sign.

"Why did you take the flute and scrapbook?" Naruto assumed, holding the Uchiha to his chest. He inhaled deeply, and he felt peaceful.

"I," Sasuke mumbled, snuggling into the Uzumaki's chest, "just wanted to play the flute for the first time since I got it."

Naruto smiled, "That's right. You never really played it. I guess it would have been hard to...but what about the scrapbook?"

"To look at it, you idiot." Sasuke's voice almost seemed like it was smiling. Naruto felt himself blush, but he couldn't bring himself to reply with a rude remark.

_It would ruin the moment if I did that, you know? It's kinda nice like this, just the two of us..._

_But it's damn cold._

"Sasuke, it's freaking cold!" Naruto complained. "Can we go back to your place?"

"Sakura's there." Naruto could almost see Sasuke lift his thin eyebrow.

"Ooh, so you just wanted it to be the two of us," Naruto snickered. "Well, the hospital is-"

"There's no way in hell I'm going back there," the Uchiha spat.

Naruto sighed, "Yeah, yeah, you're right, bad idea. I dunno, but I think the apartment I used to live in is still vacant. I mean, I never sold it or anything, and it's technically mine. The power is probably cut off and everything, but it'll work."

"Hn."

Sasuke's voice still sent electric shocks up Naruto's spine, no matter how hard he tried to get used to him speaking normally again. It was the miracle of all miracles, if only it was guaranteed to last forever.

"Crap, how much time do we think you have until...until we know if it worked or not? I think you took it around 10:30 or something," the jinchuuriki gulped.

"Hn, you can't even keep track of the time by yourself?" Sasuke leered. "Probably another forty-five minutes."

"Heh," Naruto sneered, "at least I'm the one with a house we can go back to."

"I'm the one who suggested that we go somewhere alone, dead-last."

"Ooh, are you implying something?" Naruto grinned. "Come on, let's go. I swear, when we get there, I'll make you admit you love me." The blond shuffled to his feet and held out a tanned hand to the pale skinned teenager. Sasuke, sitting up straight with a somewhat confused look on his face, hesitated before grabbing Naruto's hand. He got to his feet and for the first time since he was sentenced to a wheelchair, stood in front of Naruto. He shifted his sweater to underneath his arm. Sasuke's eyes blinked rapidly as if he were in pain, but he remained quiet. Naruto noticed that parts of the Uchiha's other hand contrasted strongly to his skin, but it was hard to tell in the heavy darkness.

"Are you bleeding?" Naruto demanded to know. "Did you hurt your hand when you fell?"

"I have reflexes now," Sasuke raised a thin eyebrow. "Obviously my hands will protect my face instead of just letting it hit the ground, idiot."

"I don't really care if you have reflexes now, bastard," Naruto grinned. "I'm going to protect you with everything I can anyway!"

"Hn, whatever, idiot," Sasuke snorted. "Let's just get the hell out of here."

So they walked through the rain hand in hand, completely alone except for the occasional drunkard passing by. Nothing mattered to Naruto except that this was the first time they were able to walk at a normal pace together, and they really were able to accomplish the promise of _walking_ through the rain.

_To think he was in a wheelchair until a few minutes ago, huh?_

_I can't explain it, but it's like this really strange fire in my heart and my stomach...I don't quite understand, but I would never give this feeling up. It's kinda weird; I never thought I'd be happier than when Iruka-sensei accepted me, even though the demon inside of me killed his parents. This strange feeling though, it's stronger._

"This is your place, isn't it?" Sasuke's sweet voice woke the blond up from his thoughts.

"Ahh..." Naruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. He looked to his side to see that it really was his apartment building. "Of course it is! I was about to point that out!"

"You should know where you used to live, moron," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Do you have the keys?"

"...keys?"

"...you don't have keys, do you?"

"...of course I have them! Heh...heh..."

Sasuke hissed, "You IDIOT. Where the hell are we supposed to go now?"

"It might not be locked!" Naruto pouted. "We can go check it out, and even if it's locked, we'll just break in!"

The Uchiha sighed, "If we can't get in, I'LL break us in. You can't go shove your rasengan through the door and let everyone know we're there."

"Let's just go inside! It's cold," Naruto complained before running inside with Sasuke. He kept his grip on Sasuke's hand tight; he never wanted those two hands to be separated from each other again. When they reached Naruto's apartment a few flight of stairs up, they paused briefly and glanced at each other. Sasuke was panting harshly, beads of sweat dripping down his face. The blond frowned; Sasuke definitely did not have the stamina he used to, even if he could move now.

"Stop looking at me like that and check the damn door," the previously ill teenager huffed. Naruto nodded quickly and shut his eyes, bracing himself as he reached for the doorknob.

_Please be open, please be open, please be open, please be open..._

Naruto was shocked when he heard the creak of the door opening. He cracked open an eye to discover that his ears did not deceive him. The lights weren't on inside, so he couldn't see what condition it was in, but it would probably do. He smiled as he took a look at Sasuke. Sasuke's eyes had a sort of bemusement behind them, but his face was stoic.

"I TOLD you the door would be open!" Naruto stuck his tongue out.

"Hn," Sasuke looked away. "You just got lucky, loser."

"You're just mad that I was right," Naruto sneered, but he chuckled a little. Still clutching onto the Uchiha's hand, the jinchuuriki took a step inside and flicked the light switch. The sight of his apartment shocked him.

It was spotless. _Absolutely_ spotless.

"What the hell?" Naruto gaped while Sasuke shut the door behind them. There was not a speck of dust in sight, and the table shone in the light. The floors had obviously been mopped recently, and Naruto felt dirty standing there, soaking the floor with his clothes.

"Sakura was here," Sasuke noted.

"How the hell did you know that?" Naruto replied, still in shock. "I thought this place was done for..."

"There was a note on the back of the door, moron," Sasuke rolled his eyes, handing it to the blond. Naruto grabbed it from Sasuke's free hand, only to notice the thick liquid staining it that had already tainted the note. The skin was no longer white, but raw and torn.

"Sasuke, go to the bathroom and fix your hand!" Naruto demanded, taking the piece of paper in his hand. "You can't just leave it like that."

"Hn," Sasuke rolled his eyes, but he took up the blond's 'request' and left him alone. Naruto sighed and turned his eyes to the note.

"_Naruto, as you know, I no longer go on missions, but I've been working at the hospital. With my time off, I've been cleaning your place. You left the keys at Sasuke's house, so I let myself in. I figured that if Sasuke doesn't make it, you might want to go back to your apartment...but if he lives, I figured that you guys might like a smaller place for the two of you to share. I know time is running out, so I figured we might as well prepare for it. - Sakura."_

"_P.S. I probably didn't tell you about it in person because I've been really busy lately, with the baby and all. You'll find this eventually though."_

"Sweet," Naruto grinned. "Sakura-chan had perfect timing."

"Why didn't you tell me about it sooner?" Sasuke questioned from a few rooms over, almost angrily.

"About what?" Naruto nearly jumped. He was still getting used to Sasuke being able to yell out like that.

"The medication, you screw-up!" Sasuke replied angrily.

"Ehh," Naruto averted his eyes nervously, even though he was alone in the entrance, "Sakura-chan and I thought that you would try to take it right away so you could live again and train to kill your brother, but we didn't want you to take it unless you had to!"

"Hn, why wouldn't I take it?" Sasuke spat. "Whether it would have worked then or now, the result would be the same."

"But there could have been some development that gave you a better chance!" Naruto argued.

"It wasn't your choice to make," the raven haired teen hissed, walking back into the entrance. Thick medical bandages covered his hand, and he held the flute and scrapbook in his other hand.

"But if you had died sooner," Naruto shot back, "we wouldn't have spent this time together! We might have never kissed or done anything. You told me life was worth living, so what if the medication doesn't work? Are you telling me that you'd be willing to throw away all our memories together to take the medication earlier, only to die?"

Sasuke stared back, but he didn't utter a sound. The only audible noise in the room was the sound of their breathing. The silence wasn't awkward though; there was a sort of calmness to the atmosphere that only the two of them could ever share.

"We should take our clothes off!" Naruto beamed. Following the look of shock on Sasuke's face, he stammered, "We-we're really wet and stuff..." He slipped off his soaking wet shirt and threw it on the floor, followed by his pants. Sasuke followed suit, and before either of them knew it, they were standing before each other in only boxers.

"We could go see if there's any ramen that hasn't expired," Naruto suggested as he clutched Sasuke's hand again, "since it's better than just talking and waiting for something to happen." Their eyes met. Sasuke's eyes bore straight through Naruto and right into his heart, seeing through him, seeing everything. They held a strange emotion that Naruto couldn't quite read. His skin tingled strangely as a result of the eye contact, and he let Sasuke's hand out of his grip in shock.

_That felt really weird...it's like there were sparks._

Sasuke's eyes reflected confusion momentarily. Naruto smiled awkwardly, embarrassment flushing his skin scarlet. He led the way inside his apartment to the kitchen, the largest room in the apartment. Sasuke took a seat at the table, placing his possessions down, while Naruto rummaged through his cupboards, shoving the vegetables and healthy food aside. A box of noodles lay untouched, so Naruto ripped it open.

"I think Sakura-chan picked up some ramen," Naruto beamed as he grabbed at two cup ramen. "SHE BOUGHT MISO WITH EXTRA PORK!"

"Hn, idiot," Sasuke snorted. "It's just ramen."

"It's not JUST ramen," Naruto grinned. "It's MISO ramen with EXTRA pork!" He pulled out two packages of it and threw them into a microwave before taking a seat beside Sasuke.

"You're really skinny," Naruto poked at Sasuke's ribcage, grimacing at how bony his skeleton was. It reminded him of the corpses he had seen at the shinobi funerals he had gone to, and it made him shudder. His face was beautiful yes, and so was his body, but it was so skinny that it pained him inside.

"I was sick, idiot," Sasuke glowered.

"I heard that the Akatsuki are in the Land of Fire," Naruto ignored Sasuke, trying to make the unpleasant feeling go away. "They're sending out some ninjas to look for them. Apparently they killed this monk dude."

Sasuke gazed at Naruto, and the strange tingling feeling from before returned to him. He felt chills run up his spine, and he blabbered on to try to ignore it. "Kakashi-sensei said he would train me starting tomorrow with this cool new technique he thought of. He said it would speed up everything, and even though it was high ranked, I could learn it really quickly and spend more time with you than before! He wouldn't tell me what kind of train-"

"Aren't you scared?" Sasuke interrupted.

"Scared of what?" Naruto laughed. "I don't have-"

"The Akatsuki are in the Land of Fire," Sasuke stated. "They're probably after you."

"Yeah..." Naruto trailed off. "Well, I'm getting stronger, so they'll be no match for me! I can take them on for sure."

"Itachi might be with them," Sasuke's eyes turned icy, and his voice nearly shook with rage. "If you ever see him, I want you to kill him."

Naruto stared at the Uchiha in surprise. "I would, but you're going to live to kill him, so there's no point in telling me to do it!"

_Was he actually concerned about me? He mentioned me before Itachi..._

"Just do it!" Sasuke glared angrily at Naruto.

"Sasuke," Naruto bit his lip, "can you tell if you're dying or not? Is that why you're asking me?"

Before Sasuke could reply, the microwave beeped noisily, snapping the two boys out of their thoughts. Naruto felt secretly happy that the ramen was ready, and the fear inside escaped for the time being. The blond jumped out of his seat and pressed a button on the microwave, popping open the cover. He grabbed the two cups and some chopsticks from the kitchen counter, bringing them to the table. He noted that Sasuke's face was contorted in disgust.

"Sorry, but it's not like I have a rice cooker, and Sakura-chan wouldn't have picked up food like tomatoes that go bad," Naruto shrugged.

'You mean she only picked up non-perishable food, dead-last," Sasuke smirked haughtily.

"Hey, do you want to eat something or not!?" Naruto slammed the cups and chopsticks on the table.

Sasuke took a cup and gracefully slid off the top cover. Muttering 'itadakimasu', he diligently grabbed at the noodles and sampled them, nodding in approval.

"ITADAIKMASU!" Naruto grinned ripping open his packaging and chomping at the noodles. He took his seat beside Sasuke again, and he ate his noodles with glee.

"You eat like a pig," Sasuke leered, smirking as he ate his own ramen.

"Shut up!" Naruto frowned, but he couldn't think up an insult to throw back at him.

_I still can't quite believe that Sasuke's normal again...it's so amazing, I don't think it's quite sunk in yet._

"Is it weird to be able to do stuff again?" Naruto asked honestly.

"My body is somewhat stiff, and I don't have a lot of stamina, but I feel like I used to besides that," Sasuke shrugged. "There aren't any restrictions to my body anymore. I got over the shock while you were busy crying your ass off."

"Excuse me for CARING!" Naruto huffed, "but...I'm glad you can move again, Sasuke." The blond leaned into the boy on his left, his lips only inches from Sasuke's. He could feel Sasuke's breath on his face, and he could see the hesitation in his eyes. Smiling slightly, Naruto closed his eyes and pressed his lips against Sasuke's, not expecting to get anything in return.

But he did.

Naruto's eyes opened in shock as he felt Sasuke's lips press gently back against his own. Naruto smiled and pushed against them harder, but then Sasuke pulled away.

"You finally kissed me," Naruto stated in shock.

_He's finally putting his trust in me! I can't let him down! It took him long enough to learn how to love again..._

Sasuke scowled, his lips curved downward into a frown. "It wasn't that bad." He immediately turned around and began to eat more of the ramen, musing over what had just happened.

"IT WAS SO GOOD!" Naruto patted his stomach. His empty cup of ramen tilted over onto the table, rolling onto the floor. "How is it, Sasuke?"

Naruto looked up at Sasuke to see that he no was eating ramen, but had the gorgeously carved bamboo flute in his hands. His eyes were shut, and he blew into the mouthpiece. The ultimate paragon of music flowed into the air, making Naruto's jaw drop. He hadn't even known before Sakura gave the flute to him that he could play the instrument, let alone this well. A sorrowful, yet peaceful melody made its way inside Naruto's ears, and his eyes were on the verge of watering. The piece was slow and melancholy, yet had a little bit of hope in it. Sasuke's eyes opened at the feeling of Naruto staring at him, and he put the flute down.

"Why did you stop?" Naruto whined.

"My mother taught me that piece," Sasuke sighed. "It was one of the last things she ever did for me before she was killed."

"Oh, I see...I'm sorry," Naruto blinked back tears. It wasn't like him to get so overwhelmed by a piece of music, but he felt something in it that was so familiar to him, maybe loneliness. Sasuke left the table and grabbed at his jeans, pulling out a camera.

"Hey, that's my camera!" Naruto yelled. "Where'd you get that!?"

"You left it at the hospital," Sasuke smirked. He walked towards Naruto and returned to his chair, gracefully turning the camera on. He stretched out his arm and positioned the camera lens to face the two of them. Naruto shut his eyes and faced his boyfriend, and he felt something gently touch his forehead. Naruto grinned as the light flashed, barely shining through the darkness of his shut eyes..

"Lemme see!" Naruto swiped the camera, flipping a switch to view the pictures. He gazed at the picture. He, of course, was smiling like an idiot, but a cute one. Sasuke had his trademark smirk on his face, but his eyes were as warm as he would let them become. The best part of it was that they were facing each other, their foreheads touching. They were sort of looking downward, almost as if they were about to kiss. Naruto beamed; it was beautiful.

"Let's do it again," the beautiful raven-haired boy smirked.

"Do what?" Naruto questioned, confused.

Uncertainty took it's place in Sasuke's face again before he leaned into Naruto's face. Sasuke bit Naruto's lower lip, experimenting with kissing. Naruto widened his eyes in surprise; he had never expected this to happen. Despite the shock, the jinchuuriki took the chance to slip his tongue into the other's mouth, exploring the cavern inside. Naruto smirked; it tasted like miso. Sasuke's tongue fought against Naruto's, playing with it. Naruto's tongue pulled out, and Sasuke began sucking at his bottom lip. Naruto smiled as he kissed back roughly, hard enough to bruise the Uchiha's lips. He could feel Sasuke's hand all over his shirtless torso, feeling up and down his spine. They stood up together in unison, as if they could sense each other's thoughts. Naruto placed his hands on Sasuke's damp back and led the way out of the kitchen and into his bedroom, stepping on the empty ramen cup along the way. He felt Sasuke's bony hands move to his lower back, dancing elegantly towards his behind.

Naruto's brain had stopped thinking a long time ago, but he felt the soft bedding on his side as he fell back on the bed beside Sasuke. Naruto had purposely not pushed Sasuke down onto the bed as to not hurt his underweight body, instead choosing to fall with him on his side. He pulled back from his lips briefly for air, and he turned on the lamp beside the bed. He blushed at what was on the night table. A small note with a heart drawn on it lay on top of a bottle of lube.

"Sakura, that pervert," Naruto grimaced, and Sasuke rolled his eyes at the medical ninja's gesture. Naruto felt heat pool in his abdomen, and he returned to kissing Sasuke. Sasuke's lips were more than happy to welcome back Naruto's. The blond was nervous at this point, and he didn't know where to put his hands. He moved his fingers down Sasuke's back, trying to follow his gut instinct. Naruto pulled away quickly and moved to his earlobe, biting down gently. Sasuke grunted, and Naruto realized that he had actually reacted. He grinned as Sasuke's lips trailed down to his neck, biting deep into his skin.

_What the hell am I doing? I'm touching Sasuke...I'm touching him differently...and everywhere...I can't help it...I can't control this..._

"Ngh," Naruto panted. Sweat began to drip down the side of his face, and he knew that tonight was going to take a different route than he imagined.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto had never felt anything like it. At first it was strange. Neither of them knew quite what to do, what to touch, but they knew what made them feel good. They eventually found their connection to each other and sort of understood what to do. After a few embarrassing mess ups from Naruto and Sasuke was able to deal with the pain, it was amazing. The way his hips had rocked into Sasuke's; the way Sasuke's voice came out in a slight scream, yet pleasurable moan; it was a life changing feeling. It was like some sort of drug had been shot into Naruto's veins, the feeling of ecstasy never waning. Slowly though, it died down in his system after one last thrust deep into his lover, one that sent Sasuke's back arching. The bottle of lube had been opened and tossed onto the ground messily, and the sheets were damp. The lovers had collapsed beside each other, still heaving, but in heaven.

"Do you love me, Sasuke?" Naruto panted, grinning at the sight of Sasuke's worn out expression. His hair was tussled unevenly, and his eyes were warm.

"Naruto," he panted. "How long has it been?"

The blond turned his neck to see the wall clock he had. The hands pointed to 11:50 PM.

"We did it," Naruto grinned, still huffing. "It's been over an hour. We did it, Sasuke!"

The Uchiha didn't reply. His soft, moist lips simply curved into a smirk, and he buried his head into Naruto's chest. Naruto smiled and planted a kiss on Sasuke's forehead.

"You screw-up," he muttered, "it's only been an extra twenty minutes."

"Aww, come on, Sasuke, why can't you believe that you're better?" Naruto pouted. "I think you are, hell, I KNOW you are!"

Sasuke breathed harshly, but chose not to reply.

"I can't believe we actually _had sex_," Naruto chatted. "It's not really something I planned, but it was kinda cool!"

"Human nature, huh?" Sasuke exhaled deeply. "I gave into it after all." He stared deeply into Naruto's sapphire eyes, and a sort of sadness reflected in them, an emotion Naruto could barely decipher.

"It was fun though, wasn't it?" Naruto beamed his radiance like sunshine.

"I always liked you," he replied almost bitterly. "I denied it to myself, but I liked you since the beginning of Team 7."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Naruto asked honestly. "We could have dated for a longer time!"

"You didn't like me back then," Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "It takes losing someone to realize how much you care about them."

"I guess," Naruto blushed awkwardly. "I always admired you, but I didn't realize I loved you..."

"You always were a screw-up," Sasuke mumbled nostalgically.

Naruto flushed, "But I gave you the medicine! I deserve some recognition for that!"

"Hn," Sasuke smirked weakly. "You do, loser. I screwed up a lot too. I let revenge get in the way of what truly mattered."

"Are you okay, Sasuke?" Naruto placed a hand on his forehead. "You're acting weird. You're going pale too..."

"To kill my older brother was always my goal," Sasuke continued. "I shouldn't have pushed everyone away, especially you. It didn't help me any with training, and maybe things could have been different, could have been better. I'm sorry, Naruto."

"Stop it, Sasuke!" the blond yelled, worry taking him over. "Stop talking like that!"

"Never let your-" Sasuke stopped abruptly, a blank look on his face. He blinked strangely over his glazed, unseeing eyes.

"Sasuke?" Naruto shook his thin body. "Sasuke, snap out of it!"

_He's having another seizure, dammit! What's happening to him?_

After what felt like an eternity, Sasuke blinked rapidly and confusedly. "Naruto, I-"

"Save your breath, Sasuke," Naruto whispered. "Just rest..."

Sasuke's body began to tremble, not violently like with seizures, but almost like out of _fear._ Naruto felt his twig-like arms; they were like ice. Naruto bit his lip and threw the bed covers off of them, the cool air biting into his skin.

"_**Promise me that you'll…kill Itachi when I die," he gasped between words.**_

"_**Pff, I'll hold your dying body in my arms if you ever come close to dying!" Naruto claimed.**_

_No...I never wanted to keep this promise! I shouldn't have to! He's gonna be okay...he has to be okay!_

"Na-ru...to," Sasuke choked, his lungs wheezing with the effort. His breathing came in quick, pained huffs, and all the blood drained from his face. He hastily placed a hand over his mouth and coughed violently, a crimson liquid seeping between his fingers. "Never let your dreams..." He hacked and wheezed, blood nearly gushing out of his mouth, "die..."

"Sasuke, don't talk anymore!" Naruto pleaded, sitting up. "Just stay here...if you don't move, then maybe...Sakura-chan! Maybe she can do something!"

"Na-ru-to," Sasuke gasped. "Don't go..."

Tears began to pour from the blond's anguished eyes as realization dawned upon him. Sasuke was dying. If Naruto left him, Sasuke would most certainly die alone.

This was the end.

"S-Sasuke!" His body moved automatically when his hands grabbed the bed cover and wrapped it around his lover's frail and shaking body. He picked Sasuke up and sat at the edge of the bed with him in his arms, Sasuke's head resting against his chest like a baby.

"Kiss me, Naruto..."

Naruto froze as he held the clammy and dying Uchiha. Without a complaint, he raised Sasuke's head and their lips met. This kiss was much more passionate than before, even if it tasted like iron. Naruto stroked his boyfriend's ashen face with his free hand, and Sasuke brought his clean hand up to behind Naruto's head, bringing their lips even closer together. Hot tears stained both of their faces as Sasuke kissed back without hesitation.

It was perfect.

Naruto wanted to kiss harder, slip his tongue into Sasuke's mouth, feel the sensation of his lover biting playfully on his lip again, but time was slipping through their fingers like the dying teen's blood. This kiss was not like the first one which had been surprising and slightly awkward. This kiss was not like the ones they shared after that that were filled with lust. This one was just pure emotion, emotion that brought forth even more tears to Naruto's already puffy eyes. He had no choice but to end their immaculate piece of eternity and pull away, even if he wanted to stay within that moment forever.

The jumpsuit clad teenager gazed into Sasuke's dark pools, and his mouth turned into a perfect O at the sight. The dying onyx eyes before him were spilling tears, but the most beautiful and human part of it was his mouth.

He was smiling.

"Thank you...Naruto..." Sasuke whispered, his voice soft, but content. His face couldn't be more beautiful, save for the small trail of blood running down the side of his mouth. His face was glowing with a warm, subtle joy that touched Naruto's heart.

More tears overflowed the blond's cerulean eyes. "I love you, Sasuke, and don't you forget that! I'll love you 'till death do us part, no, beyond that! I'll love you forever!"

Sasuke smile widened by a millimeter, but it could have just been a trick of the light. He inhaled as much as he could, but it was too much for his lungs to handle anymore.

"Live...on..." He made a strange choking sound. His obsidian eyes slowly disappeared beyond the skin of his ashen eyelids, and with one last sharp intake of breath, his body became motionless.

The other's sky blue eyes widened. He began to shake the lifeless body lying in his arms, praying for a reaction.

_It's just a joke. That's it. If not, it's a dream! This can't be happening...it's not real..._

"Sasuke...?"

Naruto shook his body a little bit harder. "Sasuke? Wake up already! There's no time for...sleeping..." He trailed off when his body remained still, becoming cooler by the moment. His eyelids hasn't closed completely, leaving a small amount of dull onyx visible.

Uchiha Sasuke was dead.

And Naruto's vision went black, the flames of red chakra the last thing he saw.

* * *

A/N: Until next chapter: Alive.


	19. Alive

DISCLAIMER: If I owned Naruto, I'd be busy drawing it instead of writing this.

* * *

"_**All say, 'How hard it is that we have to die' -**_

_**A strange complaint to come from the mouths of people who have had to live." **_

_**~ Mark Twain**_

* * *

He couldn't remember what had happened.

He had woken up in a hospital bed that morning with strange, unexplainable burn marks scarring his tanned skin, and he couldn't figure out why. He couldn't think straight; his head was throbbing relentlessly. He clutched his head in agony and wondered what had happened to him. All he knew was that he had to hurry up and get out of that bed so he could go see Sasuke again.

He wasn't sure why nobody had bothered to visit him yet, but he could hear whispers outside the door about some building having an explosion in one of the apartments. Even though the pain was beginning to subside, his head still hurt like hell and it ached just to move, but the reason for it was beyond him. The calendar across the room from him told him that today was July 23rd.

Sasuke's sixteenth birthday.

Naruto couldn't wait to feel better and get out of bed so he could go see Sasuke and wish him a happy birthday (he did try, but his muscles failed him as soon as he got his legs alone over the edge of the bed). It would suck having to turn sixteen and being stuck bedridden, but it would at least be a bit better with someone he loved, right? Yeah, and he would give him his birthday present too, but he had left back at the Uchiha estate, so he'd have to go back and...

That was when Sakura came in alone and cried, simply cried without an explanation as for why. She simply sat by his side and sobbed weakly, holding onto her oversized stomach. For some reason, her tears didn't stop, and Naruto couldn't understand why. He made a joke about her hormones being 'messed up.'

She was angry at first, and she slapped him in the face. Naruto felt the stinging sensation across his cheek and the miserable fury it left behind from the user, but he became only more confused with the notion. She broke down again and cried, and she asked him when he wasn't sad. He didn't know that there was something to be sad about, and he told her that.

So she told him why.

He sat there stunned and in disbelief. She went over how she didn't know the details of what happened between the two of them, but she knew that Naruto had lost control of his emotions the night before. She had returned to the hospital to see what they were up to, only to find the two of them were missing. She had alerted the Fifth Hokage, and Tsunade had declared that Yamato and Kakashi, as well as Sakura, look for them in case something dire happened. Yamato had been about to check out the apartment when a malicious chakra burst two of the windows in the building into shards of glass. He had made it in time to stop the entire apartment from being destroyed, but the bedroom was obliterated. All that had been left of the bedroom was Sasuke's unblemished body, and nobody could figure out why it hadn't been harmed. But then she asked what had happened that made him die with a smile.

He didn't know.

Vague memories of him holding something, no, a person, floated back into Naruto's memory, a mix of white and red being the majority of the colors. A soft, barely audible melody rang in his ears, but he couldn't recognize it completely despite its familiarity.

"_**Live...on..."**_

Naruto ran out of the room despite the agony that shot up his legs. He threw open the door to Sasuke's hospital room, only to find it completely empty. The once occupied bed had been made, the scratchy, white sheet perfectly covering the mattress. He swore and lashed out at the wall, screaming as he punched it until his knuckles bled crimson.

Sakura tried to calm him down, but he had none of it. He pushed her away and shrieked at her that he wasn't dead, he couldn't be dead. Why would he have no memory of what had happened if he had died? When she tried to reason that it was his brain trying to protect him from painful memories, or maybe he was in denial, he couldn't reply. Whorls of clashing colors flashed before his eyes, and he was sucked into a pool of what seemed to be a pool of vertigo, and it dragged him down into the darkness.

When Naruto woke up again, he discovered it was mid-afternoon. The painful sores on his body had vanished, and he felt better than ever, until he remembered what had happened earlier that day. Now that his mind was less foggy with pain, memories started to flash through his head like a picture show. Images of him crying as Sasuke stuck out a hand to help him out, them walking together in the rain...

A black suit was laid out for him on a chair beside his own bed. Sakura came in and told him to get dressed; the funeral was going to start within the hour (1). The kyuubi's chakra had fully healed him, so he had no excuse to no go and say a few words, plus stand in as his family. There was nobody else who could. Naruto yelled again about how Sasuke was alive (because he just _couldn't _be dead), so she asked him where the _hell_ he was then if he was alive. The blond couldn't answer.

But he knew he wasn't dead.

_(it's not possible)_

"_**Thank you...Naruto..."**_

"_**Live...on..."**_

* * *

"It's here," Sakura poked Naruto in the side with her elbow. "It's not the funeral site you're used to because he didn't die as a ninja. This is just the regular funeral house."

Indeed, the site of the funeral was different from all the shinobi funerals he had been too. He hadn't noticed (_for memories haunted him)_, but Sakura had led him to a small funeral house, almost like that of a chapel. Its white walls taunted him, for they were the same color as Sasuke's skin. The black of the benches reflected the depth of Sasuke's eyes and all they used to cry out for.

"What am I supposed to do?" Naruto mumbled, his eyes focused on the wooden path beneath him.

"You have to stand at the front with me. We'll be the first to put the flowers in his casket," she sniffed, her voice threatening tears.

"Casket?" Naruto's voice echoed within the funeral building. Few people were there; only Tsunade and Kakashi had arrived before them. They were standing by the open casket, and both their faces were grim.

The blond ran forward through the aisle and stopped right in front of the casket. He thought he could hear someone calling his name, but he couldn't be too sure. It didn't matter anyway.

All that mattered was that Sasuke's still body lay before him.

Within the beautifully varnished casket lay his body dressed in a white kimono. His soft hands were clasped over his heart, protecting it from the rest of the world. His cheek bones only seemed to stick out slightly compared to how they jutted out the day before in an unsightly way; makeup, no doubt, was the answer. Sasuke's eyes remained completely shut, and his mouth was no longer curved upwards into a smile, but there was a hint of one forming. His face looked peaceful, tranquil in his death.

He was still so, so beautiful.

"Why," Naruto's fists trembled, "why do you look like he's sleeping when everyone says you're dead? You're sleeping, aren't you?" Slowly, Naruto uncurled one fist and reached his hand out to Sasuke's hands, longing to hold them once more.

They were stone cold, and felt as hard as a table.

"_**Kiss me..."**_

"_**Thank you...Naruto..."**_

"_**Live...on..."**_

"No..." Naruto's eyes widened. He flinched at the memory of the most immaculate person he had ever met, the very definition of a paragon. "You can't be dead..."

_(and what was left of his heart was ripped out)_

"Sakura, why did you bring him here? He just woke up after the kyuubi transformation, and he's still in denial!"

"But he would regret it in the future if he didn't come, I know it!"

"We can possibly hold it off for another day, even if it isn't customary..."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Naruto screamed, angry tears trailing down his face. The more he stared at Sasuke's face, the more memories it brought back. Flashes of them lying together in bed, eating ramen together, taking pictures, it all came back in an agonizingly painful manner.

_(no it can't be it's not true)_

"It's not fair!" Naruto cried. "It's not fair...He didn't even turn sixteen!" The blond moved his hands to Sasuke's thin torso and shook it lightly, but slowly increasing the intensity with ever second. "Hey, Sasuke! Wake up already! SASUKE!"

"Naruto, stop it!" Sakura screamed, suddenly holding Naruto back. Naruto gazed in horror at Sasuke's motionless body. A tuft of obsidian hair had fallen in front of his eyes, but he remained exactly the same as before; motionless with the illusion of sleep.

"Maybe you should just put your flower in and say your goodbyes now, then leave," Kakashi suggested comfortingly. "You may not be ready to deal with this yet, but you might regret not doing it someday."

"SCREW IT!" Naruto howled and struggled to free himself, but his arms were tightly held back by Sakura's force. His chakra shifted in nature and suddenly became malicious, evil even. Sakura gasped and involuntarily let go, giving Naruto the chance to run out of the funeral home.

It was all just too much for him to handle. Waking up in a hospital with no clue as to what happened, then slapped in the face with the fact that his lover had died the night before, and then forced to go to the funeral the same day.

He snapped.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here?" Naruto muttered, his head hanging in shock, depression, anger, and more. The overwhelming tide of emotions struggling within him just couldn't come out, and he was left monotone and dull. His legs dangled loosely between the bars of the bridge, the place where he, the rest of Team 7, and Sasuke had met countless times in their genin days. He had calmed down slightly, but there was still a trace of Kyuubi chakra left in him.

Sakura placed her hand on the blond's shoulder, flinching at the chakra. "Naruto, the funeral is over, but look up at the sky."

Naruto lifted his head slowly to gaze up at the sky. Smoldering that deep blue was a funnel of dark smoke, a line that separated one half of the sky from the other.

"What the hell is that?" Naruto asked dully.

"...it's Sasuke," Sakura choked. "He's being cremated. I wanted to know if you wanted to keep half of his ashes or not (2)."

Naruto's eyes widened, almost bulging out of their sockets. He could almost feel his blood vessels pop as he stared at the rising smoke, the result of his lover being burned, burned to _death._

"Wh-why are you burning Sasuke?" Naruto stuttered, but he knew it was futile.

"Naruto, he's dead!" Sakura screamed, hot tears spilling over her eyes. "I couldn't do anything to bring him back when Yamato brought his body to me! It was too late! But...he was smiling."

"I know!" Naruto inhaled sharply, and he could feel his eyes watering as he watched his lover disappear into the sky. "He smiled for me, but he's dead! SAKURA-CHAN, HE'S DEAD!"

_(and he's never coming back)_

"Naruto, he had the most gorgeous smile I've ever seen," Sakura hiccuped, "and you're the one that made him smile that way. I just wish...I wish I could have done something for him. You're so lucky that you made him smile! He may be gone, but, but now he's no longer suffering!"

The tears finally streamed down Naruto's face. "BUT IT'S MY FAULT HE DIED! MAYBE IF I HAD GOTTEN HIM TO YOU, HE-"

"Stop it, Naruto!" Sakura cried. "He was going to die, but he died by your side. You must have done something worthwhile together. You made him happy!"

"How could you burn his body like that?" Naruto questioned, irate yet again. "It-it just isn't fair! WHY THE HELL DID SASUKE HAVE TO DIE!?" He ran back home, back to the room he used to share with Sasuke in the beginning.

And he didn't leave for a long time.

* * *

"Naruto, you have to stop blaming yourself for everything!"

Uzumaki Naruto looked up from the shirt that lay in his hands, Sasuke's old shirt. His eyes were raw and sore, but no light gleamed within those once lively eyes.

"It still smells like him," Naruto grimaced.

"Naruto, do you think you're the only one that cared about him!?" Sakura screamed within the dark bedroom. "I cared about Sasuke-kun too! I loved him so much, and I did everything that I could to save him! Snap out of it and live your life! It's been two months already, and I'm due anyday!"

"How the hell am I supposed to live when Sasuke was all I ever thought about?" Naruto replied dully. "I spent every moment with him I could, and now he's gone."

_(what am I supposed to do?)_

Sakura lifted her hand and slammed her palm against Naruto's face, leaving a sore, scarlet mark. "You idiot! Do you think Sasuke-kun would want you to live like this? He made you promise to kill Itachi, but if you don't leave your room and go on missions again, you'll never fulfill that!"

"Leave me alone, Sakura-chan," Naruto looked away from her and let himself fall back onto the bed.

"Here," Sakura searched for something in her pocket. She pulled out a photograph and flung it towards the broken Uzumaki. "I did you the favor of printing it out for you."

Naruto let the photograph hit him in the face; he was too depressed to care. He grabbed the photo that had fallen to his left thigh and gazed at it.

It was the last picture he ever took with Sasuke.

He felt the tears well up in his eyes as he stared at Sasuke, the way his eyes were so loving, an emotion he had never seen before in him. The way his lips were almost curved into a smile, Naruto could recall the feeling of the Uchiha's forehead against his own. Their lips were nearly touching, and he longed to taste them once again.

_(he never even told me that he loved me)_

"Thank you, Sakura-chan," Naruto cried. "Oh God, I miss him so much...it hurts...I feel so nauseous."

"You should get some fresh air," Sakura smiled. "It will do you some good."

Naruto shook his head and shut his eyes, blocking out his friend's face.

"WHY?" Sakura demanded to know. "Stop trapping yourself in here!"

"How am I supposed to face the world when I feel like this? How is it possible to hurt so much? My chest...why is it breaking in half? Why can't I hold myself together, dammit!?"

He knew he had reached his breaking point, and he could no longer hold himself together. He felt his chest have in as he collapsed unevenly on the bed into a pit of unconsciousness.

* * *

"NARUTO-KUN, COME QUICKLY!"

The door to the bedroom burst open, and a green, jumpsuit clad ninja stormed into Naruto _(and Sasuke's)_ bedroom. Naruto was sitting cross legged on the bed, staring into nothingness, when Rock Lee crashed on top of him, throwing him down on the bed.

"THIS IS IMPORTANT, NARUTO-KUN! I MUST ESCORT YOU TO THE HOSPITAL TO MEET SAKURA-SAN! SHE'S IN LABOR RIGHT NOW, AND YOU NEED TO GO SEE HER WITH THE SPIRIT OF YOUR YOUTH!"

"..."

Rock Lee jumped off of Naruto's collapsed body and onto the ground. He grabbed hold of Naruto's shoulders and shook them hard, urgency glowing along with the will of fire in his strangely vibrant eyes.

"Did you not hear me, Naruto-kun? Sakura-chan is in labor! She is in the process of giving birth to her and Sasuke-kun's son! It is important that we both run to the area with as much youth as possible!"

Naruto's dull, faded, blue eyes were downcast. "I heard you, bushy-brows."

"Why have you not moved from your current position then, Naruto-kun!?" Rock Lee's eyes blazed. "Maybe you do not understand how important this is, but you must go!"

"...why should I?"

"Naruto-kun, this is very unlike you!" Rock Lee yelled passionately. "To remain depressed for so long is not in your nature! Do not lose sight of your youth! I am very sorry for the loss of your partner, but this is his son that is being born! Do you not get it?"

"..."

"Naruto-kun," Rock Lee shook his head, "this baby being born into the world is what Sasuke-kun left behind for both you and Sakura-san as a memory of him, as well as a member of the Uchiha clan. Sakura-san told me that he wanted him to be named Mioku, with the Chinese characters spelling out 'beautiful memory'! If you don't go see him and take care of him, you will let Sasuke-kun down!"

Naruto's ears almost seemed to perk up. He lifted himself off of the bed and stared grimly at the strange ninja in front of him.

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun would not have wanted for you to end up like this because of his passing away! You're starving yourself, and he would not have wanted you to become unhealthy! You are seriously underweight, and your youthfulness has dissipated! Tell me, did he say anything important to you in his last moments?"

The blond's empty chasm inside his chest ached at the thought of Sasuke's last moments on Earth _(for he no longer had a heart; it had been torn out, trampled on, and shredded to pieces, leaving him oh so hollow inside) _ He could still recall that beautiful, soft voice he would never heard again; those dark eyes that always saw straight into his soul were still imprinted in his mind; and he could swear he could feel those perfect, plump lips against his own again.

"He told me to never let my dreams die," Naruto replied quietly. "He thanked me, maybe it was for kissing him a last time, or maybe it was for more. I don't really know, but...he told me to live on."

"And is this what you call living!?" Rock Lee interrogated. "Do not let Sasuke-kun down! You must live for his sake instead of die because he's not here! His memory will always be with you, and the spirit of his youth still lingers on! I CAN FEEL IT, NARUTO-KUN!"

_(maybe just maybe he's actually right)_

"Maybe you're right," Naruto sighed. "He told me to live on...I can't just sit here. I should go." He reached underneath his pillow and took out a small picture. It was the last picture he ever took with Sasuke, and there were stains damaging it.

_(he just couldn't stop the tears as he clutched the picture to his chest)_

"Okay then, shall we go!?" Rock Lee grinned. As Naruto nodded, Rock Lee grabbed at Naruto's arm and threw the now small teenager onto his back with ease.

"Hey, what're you doing!?" Naruto flushed a brilliant crimson. "I can walk!"

"I was ordered by Sakura-san to escort you, and we must get there as quickly as possible!" Lee explained, taking off towards the hospital.

* * *

"Why can't I go in to see her?"

"Naruto-kun," the nurse explained, "even though it's Sakura-san, one of the hospital's most respected medical ninjas, we can't make an exception. Only the partner or family is allowed to be in the delivery room. You'll have to wait a few minutes for us to fix the complications and for her to give birth."

"WHAT!? WHAT PROBLEMS!?" Naruto screamed, his face burning.

_Mioku CAN'T die. Sasuke would be so heartbroken...even if he couldn't show it very well, I know he would be!_

"Please relax," the nurse replied calmly. "They're only minor. Now, please excuse me," she backed out and returned to the delivery room.

Naruto stood there, dumbstruck, as the door closed in his face. He looked over his shoulder to see the blindingly white, twisted hallways, the hallways that made him dizzy to look at. He couldn't do anything but take a seat outside the door. He curled up into a ball and forced himself to breathe. His chest ached with a melancholic pain, and he felt absolutely miserable. His eyes still hadn't quite focused to the sunlight, and now the only thing left that could possibly bring some joy back into his life was fading away. His life already felt like it had been stretched out too far, lasting centuries longer than it should, and now he was forced to wait for what would decide just how much his life was worth anymore.

_But, I have to live on. I promised him that...I can't back out of it now._

"Naruto-kun, you may enter now," a voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts, a smile audible within it. "It's a boy."

The blond looked up into the eyes of the nurse, and he saw pure kindness in her eyes. With the assumption that Mioku was okay, he scrambled forward and entered the delivery room, clutching the last picture to his chest.

"Naruto, you came!" Sakura smiled as she sat up in her hospital bed, holding a small bundle within her arms.

Naruto held his breath as he watched the rosette haired teen smile at the child within her arms. Because of Naruto's angle, the blanket seemed to hide away the baby, and he could only see his tiny, little hands grabbing at Sakura's hospital gown.

"Come see your nephew," Sakura grinned at Naruto. The blond edged forward, slightly anxious with such an atmosphere in the room, nervous about seeing the new life in front of him. He inches closer until he was finally by Sakura's side, and he stared into Mioku's face.

He was a gorgeous baby. His soft, creamy skin was reminiscent of his parent's own skins. His chin was slightly, but only slightly, pointy, exactly like Sakura's chin. His hair was like charcoal, thin and black, but his forehead was a mix of both Sasuke's and Sakura's; only faintly oversized, not nearly large enough to really notice a difference.

It was his eyes though, that caught Naruto's attention. They were wide and large, very inquisitive, but they weren't blue like most baby's eyes at first. His were pure black, so thick that it seemed like light couldn't penetrate them. Although they didn't have a sort of anger, yet sorrow to them, they were still as deep as his father's eyes once were. As they noticed Naruto's presence, they focused on the blond, surprisingly showing the same amount of perception as Sasuke's did when they looked at Naruto.

Naruto felt his eyes well up with tears, and he slowly removed his hands from his chest. "He...he looks just like Sasuke...and his eyes..."

"You can't help but see Sasuke when you look at him, right?" Sakura sighed. "It's the same for me. It's kind of sad to see his child, our child, but it's so beautiful at the came time."

The blond sniffed and smiled, chuckling slightly.

"Hey, Mioku."

* * *

There's been an obvious improvement ever since the funeral, but he's still unstable," a man with a spiky ponytail sighed, irritated. "It was so bothersome to even come here, and to think I could barely help him at all."

"Thanks for trying, Shikamaru," Sakura smiled half-heartedly. "He almost stopped eating completely back before Mioku was born, but he's improved a little since then. I figured he'd get worse since he looks so much like Sasuke, but I think Lee knocked some sense into him."

Shikamaru bit his lip, "I see. He was still thin when I went in there, and totally out of it. He's not a total zombie or anything, but he's no longer the same way he used to be. He's changed. He's probably suffering from depression, even if he is trying to live."

"Sasuke was his life," Sakura sipped her tea. She and Shikamaru were simply talking at one of the patios outside. The male chuunin had attempted to get Naruto to leave his room to no avail. He never left his room, except to take care of Mioku and use the bathroom.

"He used to get angry sometimes, and then I'd have to get Yamato, and sometimes he would just cry. He used to almost act like he was dead, but he's healing," Sakura put her tea cup down on the elegant table that separated her and Shikamaru. "He just needs something to give him a jump start again. He spent every moment he could with Sasuke, and I don't know what happened that night, but there must have been something that made Sasuke smile."

"They had sex obviously," Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Judged by what I could read from what Naruto said and how you found them both naked, that's probably what happened. There was more to it most likely, but that's all I could get."

"I figured," Sakura gazed into her cup, the brown liquid reflecting her sea foam eyes. "I'm not too surprised...I think Sasuke-kun really loved Naruto, but it was just hard for him to admit it. I guess actions were easier for him than words."

"How are you feeling anyway?" Shikamaru asked, sipping his tea. "I know it was hard on you when Sasuke passed away, and now you have a child to take care of."

"I haven't felt happiness in the longest time," Sakura put her cup down and rested her head in her hands. "Ever since Sasuke even got sick, it's been hard for me to smile. Nobody wants to see their comrades in such a condition. Now that he's actually gone, I'm somewhat relieved, but sad. I'm glad that he's not hurting anymore, but I loved him. I loved him a lot...but he could never love me back. I had to accept that, especially since Naruto loved him back. I wish he was here, but I would never wish him to live with that illness." She toyed with the Uchiha necklace that adorned her neck. "I've been wearing this everyday since his funeral because it's that last thing he ever gave me. I've been a little bit more upbeat lately because of Mioku, but it's still sad when I see his father within his eyes."

"Life can be a drag," Shikamaru replied lazily. "I can't even imagine what it would be like if Chouji died, even though we don't have a relationship like Sasuke and Naruto, or even a relationship like you and Sasuke did. It sucked a lot when Asuma-sensei died, but everyone has to move on. We have to grow up."

"Oh yeah, it's been a few weeks since Asuma-sensei died on that mission," Sakura sighed. "I'm sorry about that. Trust me, I know how hard it is to deal with death."

"It's fine. If you ever want help around here, I can do something for you when I'm not on a mission," Shikamaru shrugged. "Naruto can't be that useful when he's in this sort of state of mind, and you have a two month old kid to deal with. It must be stressful."

"It is," Sakura nodded. "Thanks for offering, but you don't need to go to the trouble. Lee and Kiba already offered, and I said no. I'll manage, just as long as Mioku doesn't end up inheriting Sasuke's disease. That would break my heart, and I don't know if I could deal with it a second time. I just..." she trailed off. "I need Naruto to move on. I've had to, and even if I wasn't as close to Sasuke as he was, he needs to get on with his life. At least Naruto is a little bit more lively now."

"How've your parents been anyway?" the male asked. "Rumor has it that you forced them to listen to you about your pregnancy. How did that turn out?"

"Crap, people know about it?" Sakura shook her head. "I went home and made them listen to me. I managed to get through to them, and they understand me a little now. They told me that I could go home, but I don't think I will. At least they support me now."

"That's good for you, I supposed," Shikamaru set his cup down. "Going back to the subject of Naruto, he will move on eventually, but it's going to take something big to bring him back. When I went inside his room, he was just lying on the bed starting at the ceiling. He didn't answer any of my questions until I mentioned Sasuke. He talked a little bit about how he wished he and Sasuke had taken more pictures together, how they ate ramen the night he died, and how beautiful he was. He told me he wished he could feel his lips again. I couldn't get any solid information out of him that could help me make him get well again though."

"I see," Sakura sniffed, tears threatening to drop from her eyes. "I wish I could have been the one to make him smile. I wish I had talked to him more. I wish I could have just been there for him rather than been busy trying to make him better. He's gone now though, so there's no point in regrets, but now it's like Naruto's the sick one."

"Something will eventually knock some sense into him," Shikamaru grinned. "I have a feeling that nobody but Sasuke can bring him back, but hey, if you believe in the Will of Fire that the Third taught us, it's not impossible."

* * *

"Time for a nap, Mioku!" Naruto cooed, holding the tiny human within his arms. Mioku made a small, gurgling sound in reply. No matter how cute it was, it rocked Naruto's core; it reminded him of the times Sasuke choked on his own food, nearly his own saliva near the end...

Naruto smiled lightly, but his mouth was tight. He put Mioku inside his crib and sighed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sort of prism attached to a tough piece of cord. He toyed with it and held it up against the light. It sparkled brightly, sending colorful rays of light in all directions. He felt his insides rip a little bit as he reached down to the drowsy Mioku and tied the cord around his little neck.

"Happy Birthday, Sasuke," he whispered.

_(but it was supposed to be yours not his why i love him but why)_

The baby giggled at the crystal around his neck and picked it up, twirling it clumsily in his small hands. It had no sharp edges, so it was safe.

"I picked it up for your daddy's birthday when I was on a mission a while back," he attempted a smile, but couldn't manage it, as he lay a blanket over Mioku. "It was the last mission I went on before -"

"I suppose we should go through his things, right?"

Naruto looked up through the darkness, and he spotted Sakura by the doorway. She was beaming at the sight of her best friend tucking Mioku into his crib.

"If he's about to fall asleep, we should go through Sasuke-kun's belongings. Obviously we won't throw them out, but we can organize them, maybe get rid of things he wouldn't even want us to keep," she continued. "Maybe there's a will somewhere."

The blond took one last look at Mioku's beautiful, gentle face, and then left the room, passing Sakura by.

"I guess there's no choice, huh?"

Sakura stared at the ground, uncomfortable. "I brought his stuff back from the hospital a while ago. I left it in his bedroom, and I don't know if you noticed that or not."

The blond paused mid step, inhumanly still.

"It hasn't gotten any easier," Naruto replied quietly. "There's something missing from my life, like a missing piece or something, and the pain hasn't subsided at all. It's just hidden for the time being, but it's bound to resurface."

"I'll tackle every room, and you can just go through his bedroom," the medical ninja instructed. Naruto couldn't tell if she ignored her or just didn't hear him, but he didn't quite care either way. "Try to be quiet because even though Mioku tends not to cry often, we don't want him waking up."

Naruto nodded and headed towards his bedroom, Sasuke's bedroom. He flicked the light switch on and inhaled deeply. The room was spotless, barely lived in; Naruto didn't want to mess up what Sasuke had maintained until he couldn't any longer. The future hokage moved to a spare bedroom after Mioku's birth, and hadn't entered the silent bedroom since then.

_(it was just too lonely to know that the warmth that used to keep him company would never come back)_

He would have moved out of the house, but the thought of leaving the only place where physical traces of Sasuke were left behind frightened him.

_(please don't forget him)_

Every other place only had memories left behind.

He was healing though, that was for sure. Naruto was eating again, and his body looked healthy, although his eyes betrayed him. They were always lonely, hurt, and angry. Even so, he had started training again, and he was set to start missions again next week, the first week of March.

_(it's been so long and it still hurts so much)_

"I shouldn't touch anything that belonged to him," Naruto mumbled to himself. Obeying Sakura's orders though, he opened the drawer of his dresser, ignoring the picture of Team 7 that lay on top of it; Sasuke's memory was still too raw to look at it. There wasn't a lot to look at within the first drawer; just a small, wrapped box with a bow on it. Scrawled messily was the name _Naruto._

Naruto's eyes widened just a tiny bit as he took the box in hand. The wrapping paper was a plain blue color, nothing too special. His tanned hands removed the paper, and he found that the gift was a small box, the type you get when you buy a piece of jewelry. Slowly opening the cover, Naruto gasped.

Inside was an immaculate, silver chain, adorning a jewel encrusted paper fan. Countless rubies and diamonds covered it, outlined with shining sapphires. Messily written on a torn piece of paper underneath was _Merry Christmas, loser._

_Now that I think about it, Sasuke was never able to give me my Christmas present, even though he said he wanted to..._

Naruto diligently took the chain out of its box and placed it around his neck, closing the clasp. He blinked furiously, trying to make the tears in his eyes go away. He whispered a silent thank-you before moving on to the drawer below. Inside were all the things that Sasuke had left over at the apartment on that night, the night where everything changed. The bamboo flute lay inside. Naruto wanted to touch it, to feel one of the last nights Sasuke ever felt, put his lips too, but it would be defiling it with his negative feelings. The scrapbook remained inside too, but the blond moved on to the next drawer.

In the next drawer was all the things that Sasuke had with him at the hospital, but Naruto chose to take out the journal Sakura had told him once before about, the one Naruto read without permission. He cracked the cover open and flipped through it. His hands turned the pages, flipping through the beautifully written script words that slowly transformed into shaky, barely legible, huge letters that took up several pages just to write a sentence. Naruto finally stopped where there was a small page marker, the kind that are threaded and attached to a journal.

"_Naruto,"_

"_Even though you're a huge screw-up, I know you'll find this. At this point, I'm either dead or completely bound to a hospital bed. This is the last time I'll ever hold a pen and be able to communicate properly with anyone, so read carefully, loser. I'm going to tell you and myself the truth."_

"_I'm sorry."_

Naruto's hands began to shake, and flashes of that rainy night intruded his mind. Those trembling, bony hands that were barely able to point to the letters that spelled that one sentence of apology.

"_I was always sick as a child, but eventually, the problems went away. We all thought I was better, so I enrolled in the academy to become a ninja. I was fine for a while, perfectly healthy even. I forgot how bad my health used to be. At thirteen, I began to feel like something inside of me was breaking. I knew something was wrong. I wanted to leave for Orochimaru, but then I began to fall over at times. I tried drugs to escape from my pain, but they only made me feel worse. When I was about to leave Konoha, I almost fell in front of Sakura. I knew I couldn't go. I didn't want to accept that something was wrong; this was not supposed to be my future. It was my fault for not getting help sooner, but you took the blame."_

Naruto's attempt to stop the tears was futile; they trickled down his face like a stream, but his mouth remained tight as his eyes read each word, careful in deciphering each one.

"_I never loved Sakura, so don't worry; I always wanted you. You helped me in more ways than you'll ever know. You suffered because of your bond with me, so maybe you understand a part of my hatred for Itachi. He took away everything I had, and he hurt me. I blamed him for everything, but there's nobody for you to blame. Just don't blame yourself, idiot, because I know you will. It's my fault."_

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered, his breathing slowly getting harsher. "It's not your fault, you bastard!"

He could almost hear Sasuke's voice saying each word for him, and it was almost like a part of his soul remained with the letter. For the first time, he was actually confessing what was in his heart because there was no second chance to do it.

"_When you told me that I had this disease, I asked myself why it had to be me. I slowly degraded into nothing as the days painfully passed by too quickly. Before I knew it, I couldn't walk or talk anymore, and now breathing is difficult. I know I'm useless, but when you kissed me back a few months ago...I realized that maybe I meant something to you. I realized maybe the disease chose me because I needed to find out what was truly important. I had a hard time opening up to you because of Itachi. He cut me open in so many places, and the scars still remain. I was angry, but scared of getting hurt again. Hatred was all I had known for so many years, and you never quite understood that, but I didn't expect you to. You're an idiot after all. What else could I expect?"_

"_I wanted you to understand though."_

"So that's why he never told me anything," Naruto felt enlightened, but heavy. The tears began to fall faster, and he felt nauseous. "That's why he couldn't admit he loved me, so he showed it to me instead...but why, why didn't I realize it earlier when it would have made a difference?"

"_Don't miss me. I'm not worth that. I have so many regrets, and I'm one of the worst type of people there is. I lived for revenge, and that was it. It was my goal though, even if nobody could ever understand. So, think of me, remember me, but move on. I always thought death meant the end of everything when I was a ninja, but now that I'm dying, I know I'm just fading away into dust. We all will become dust and eventually blow away in the wind. This is so stupid, but we'll travel the world through the current, able to live again. As long as there's wind, I'll be there with you. When the wind dies down, I'll finally move on and be reborn. That will happen the day you no longer need me, and we'll meet again in the next life. It's so stupid, almost something you'd say, but…"_

The blond felt sick. He couldn't imagine not needing Sasuke anymore. It's like they had been made for each other, and now he was missing his other half. Even so, he knew he had to listen to Sasuke's last wishes.

"You were never as bad a person as you thought," Naruto voice shook dangerously. "You just had a hard time dealing with other people..."

_If what you say is true, are you really still here?_

"_Don't cry, loser. You're the one that made me believe in living when I thought it wasn't worth it. Kill Itachi for me. Raise Mioku with Sakura. Be the father I never could be. I'll be there to see you become Hokage, and I promise you that you'll know I'm there. You'll feel me with you, so you won't have to look. I'm there with you right now, but you're just too busy crying to see. I can't believe I'm even writing down all this crap, but I need to admit it. It'll be one less regret to die with."_

Naruto tensed and wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. He swore to himself then that he would kill Itachi and be the surrogate father for Mioku. He promised himself to stop crying so often. He would never just not miss Sasuke anymore, but he would try not to.

_I promise to live on._

Naruto turned to the last page of the journal and gasped. The words knocked the wind out of him, and his freshly dried face immediately became wet again, the tears spilling too quickly for him to control.

"_You idiot. I love you,"_

"_Uchiha Sasuke"_

"Sasuke," Naruto finally broke down and sobbed, releasing the journal from his grip. It collided with the ground, but Naruto never even noticed. He held his face with his hands and just cried for what he hoped would be the last time for a long time. He released all the pain, the anger, and the misery he had kept inside of him, and simply cried.

_Thank you, Sasuke._

"Naruto, what're you doing?" Sakura's voice interjected. "Are you okay?"

The blond turned around quickly, the necklace spinning with him. He wiped his tears away and grinned whole heartedly, his smile illuminating the room.

"You know, I don't think Sasuke is really gone," he beamed. "He's still here with us, even if we can't see him. You know, people don't really die when we think they do. They just blow away in the wind and live again. Do you get it? Sasuke's alive! He's more alive now than before!" he laughed to himself. "He's able to see things and do things he hasn't been able to for the longest time. He's always gonna be here with us though, as long as he's with the current of the breeze."

Sakura gaped at Naruto's words, but said nothing. The blond was about to continue, but he could almost swear that he saw something behind the woman standing right in front of him. Beyond Sakura's figure was a handsome teen, standing up straight and tall. His porcelain skin was flawless, and his arms were well-built and strong. He smirked there in a pair of navy pants and high collared T-shirt, his dark eyes amused by Naruto.

"Sasuke?" Naruto felt his heart rate skyrocket.

The man stalked off through the wall, disappearing as quickly as he had gotten there. Naruto couldn't help but smile. Something inside that once empty chasm was growing again, and he didn't feel quite as hollow anymore.

* * *

(1) In Japan, funerals generally happen the day after a person's death.

(2) People in Japan are cremated customarily. Half of the ashes go to their grave in a cemetery, and the other half are kept in home altars.

I don't need to explain myself for why I killed Sasuke, but this story was inspired by a girl named Aya Kito. When she was fifteen, she was diagnosed with Spinocerebellar Ataxia. She suffered so much, but she remained strong. She kept a diary, and you can read it online. She wrote in it until she could no longer hold a pen, and she died at the age of twenty-five. Her diary makes you appreciate what you have. You wish you didn't have to do gym because it's tiresome. She wanted more than anything to walk, let alone run, instead of having to be confined to a chair. So, I couldn't have Sasuke live when number one, there isn't a cure in real life, and two, it would be unfair to Aya.

Until the epilogue; Life is Beautiful.


	20. Epilogue: Life is Beautiful

A/N: This is it everyone, the last part of this story! Thank you for reading this story, so, so much. Thank you for over 100 reviews as well! I've never gone into the three digit territory before.

**DISCLAIMER: If I owned Naruto, I would be able to draw, but I can't, hence why I write fan fiction only.**

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* * *

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"'_Till death do us part, huh?"_

_He took a seat beside the young, blond man in the field, hugging his arms hugging to his knees. He looked out at the vast sky, inhaling the fresh, summer air. The way his pale skin and dark clothes juxtaposed against the vibrant field only made him stick out more prominently in the colorful world. The flowers at their feet grazed their ankles, tickling their skin._

"_When it's like this, death hasn't really separated us, even though it's been about five years..." the blond man, the one with three lines scarring each cheek, grinned and turned to look at the other male's pale, immaculate features. The blond caught the beautiful man's deep, infinitely dark eyes staring at him as their eyes met. The wind blew his bangs in front of his eyes, and he smirked brilliantly. Smug amusement played across his eyes._

"_Hn. You haven't changed, Naruto. You're still as idiotic as ever."_

(_NARUTO! ARE YOU AWAKE YET!)_

"_Heh, likewise, you bastard!" Naruto stuck his tongue out. "At least my hair doesn't look like a duck butt's!"_

_(YOU HAVE TO GET UP OR YOU'LL BE LATE FOR THE INAUGURATION!)_

_Sasuke smirked, "You screw-up. You still haven't quite realized that death never separated us."_

"_What?"_

_(__**NARUTO!**__)_

Naruto's consciousness drifted back to reality, but he didn't will himself to open his eyes. He stayed in a sleeping position on his bed, still half asleep. Slim arms were positioned around his torso, hugging his body close. Naruto smiled as he felt warm breath on his cheek.

"_G-_morning, bastard," he mumbled, putting his hands on top of the cool ones circling his chest.

"Hn, good morning, moron."

Suddenly, the door on his right flew open, and a slim girl dressed in a pair of beige shorts and a red shirt stormed in. Her short, rosette hair bobbed by her shoulders as she grabbed Naruto's shirtless body by the shoulders, shaking him wildly.

"NARUTO!" Sakura screamed. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AWAKE AN HOUR AGO! YOU'RE ALREADY LATE TO YOUR COUNSELING APPOINTMENT WITH IRUKA-SENSEI, AND IF YOU HAVEN'T REALIZED IT YET, TODAY IS THE DAY YOU BECOME HOKAGE!"

Naruto blinked, his heart racing rapidly. He looked beside him and past Sakura, only to see empty space. He frowned, and his eyes seemed to sadden.

"Just...a dream?" he asked out loud.

"No, Naruto, you're becoming Hokage today, so get up NOW!"

"But he was here!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at the empty space beside him. "Sasuke was sleeping with me..."

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura let Naruto go, letting the adult fall back into his bed. "Naruto, Sasuke-kun is...gone. You should know that by now."

"But, he was here just now...just like everyday..."

"Naruto, you were probably dreaming. Now hurry up and get dressed!" Sakura ordered. "I left you some breakfast on the table, and now I have to go back to the hospital! I'll see you-"

"Wait," Naruto interrupted. "You have to go _back_ to the hospital?"

"I took Mioku there earlier today," the young woman placed her hands on her hips. "Remember we decided that he should get the testing done today to see if he carries the gene for spinocerebellar ataxia?"

Naruto froze. Time seemingly slowed down for him, and he could read Sakura's lips pronounce every single syllable of that evil word: spinocerebellar ataxia. He felt a rise of panic in his chest, squeezing at his twisted, deformed heart.

_He can't carry the gene, right?_

_If he does, I don't know what I will do..._

_I don't want this to have been for nothing! Mioku is supposed to be Sasuke's legacy, but not one that reflects...reflects...the way he...di-_

"I'll see you at the Hokage Tower in an hour and a half," Sakura nodded, turning towards the exit. "Don't be late, okay? This is the day you've been waiting for since, I don't know, forever?"

Naruto waited until he heard the door shut before he sprawled out of bed, quickly throwing some clothes on. He hastily zipped on a pair of beige pants and a black shirt, leaving his long, flaming scarlet coat for last.

_One thousand, seven hundred and sixty-three days._

He messily threw the duvet on top of his bed before leaving the area that had once been a guest room. The interior of it was plain; Naruto hadn't dared to change the decor. Without another thought, he shoved a piece of toast Sakura had left for him on the kitchen table before setting out to the Academy to meet Iruka.

_The days have passed so painstakingly slowly. Sometimes I can count each tick of the clock, representing each second I've lived without you, and I can't stand it._

He pushed his way through the sea of people. It was a bright May afternoon, and the spring sun beat down on his shoulders. He could already tell that summer was coming as he made it to just outside the Academy doors.

_I'll never stop loving you._

_When you love someone, you never stop doing so. You just...learn to live without them, but it's still so painful._

"Hey, Naruto-niichan!" a brown haired teen suddenly appeared in front of him, a huge grin plastered on his face. His chocolate colored hair stood out on top of his head, showing off his Konoha headband proudly. He was tall, only an inch or so shorter than Naruto.

"Yo, Konohamaru!" Naruto winked. "How's life been treating you?"

"I've been promoted to chuunin!" he exclaimed. "It's all thanks to you for helping me out when I was younger! I know you're becoming Hokage today, but I swear, I'll become Hokage RIGHT AFTER YOU, okay!" He suddenly smiled slyly. "Oh, I have a present for you."

_I look in the mirror sometimes. My eyes aren't the same as before. They've lost their innocence, and I think they're more serious now. It's not like I never smile; I do smile, but it's hard to give a __**real**__ smile now, you know, the type of smile you can actually feel._

A puff of smoke suddenly exploded, and a beautiful, naked woman stood where Konohamaru once was. She had sleek, jet black hair that hung only to her shoulders, and the deepest, dark eyes. She leaned to her right and placed a small, pale hand on one hip, her other hand on her knee, "Ooh, Naru-kun, it's so hot in here..."

Something, possibly a bomb, went off inside his chest, setting his deformed heart into flames.

_It's been one thousand, seven hundred and sixty-three days since I've seen those pale hands, those infinite eyes..._

"That's nothing compared to the latest technique I created!" Naruto laughed hollowly. "I'll show it to you sometime!"

Another cloud of smoke appeared, and Konohamaru replaced the nude woman. "You didn't seem that happy about it," he pouted, sensing the falseness of his laugh, "and I thought it would psych you up!"

"Did it seem that way?" he scratched his head nervously. "Sorry, but I'm kinda nervous right now about the whole ceremony today."

"Well, you better get in a better mood," Konohamaru commanded, "or I'll take your place sooner than you think!"

"I better get going," Naruto nodded, "but I swear that I just need to calm down, all right?" Brushing past the boy, he entered through the doors of the academy. Ignoring the occasional teacher to walk down the hall, he finally entered through one doorway and took a seat in a very high class room, one almost like a doctor's personal office.

The blond's sapphire orbs gazed out the window of the counseling room. The cherry blossoms blew past him on the other side, and he inhaled the air around him deeply. The smell of the room was clean, obviously sprayed with some sort of air freshener recently. It smelled of pine, fresh pine, and the strong smell stung his nostrils.

_One thousand, seven hundred and sixty-three days._

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Naruto," a man in his early thirties bowed in apology as he entered the room. Naruto never even heard the door open, but he nodded and smiled faintly in acknowledgement.

"So, how have you been?" the man sat in a large, black chair across from Naruto, scratching underneath the scar across his nose.

"I'm good, Iruka-sensei," Naruto gave a small smile, but his mouth was tight. Iruka took note of the forced smile. "I haven't really had any problems, I guess..."

"It's been four years since your first session here, and you've made so much progress," Iruka grinned. "I'm proud of you for coming back today for a visit, just as a checkup. You've really grown up."

"Sakura-chan thought I might need it today since it's the big day," Naruto replied quietly, his eyes observing the room around him. The walls were a royal mahogany, and the hardwood floors were well varnished. "He promised me that he would be here with me today."

"It's been almost five years since Sasuke died, correct?" Iruka asked purposely.

Naruto felt his stomach tighten, but he caught his breath. He grabbed onto the Uchiha necklace that hung around his neck. "Yeah, it has been."

_One thousand, seven hundred and sixty-three days since death made us part._

One thousand, seven hundred and sixty-three days. It was on that day one thousand, seven hundred and sixty-three days ago when the world lost all of its color. Naruto remembered that day clearly, both the best day and the worst day of his life. It was on that day that he had found love, but the one that he lost it all, lost himself completely, and had lived blindly for eight months. It took him eight months until he had found a shred of hope somewhere within the darkness. The piece of hope that told Naruto that Sasuke was still alive somehow within the wind had brought back the colors, but they were dull and faded. Talking to Iruka, the guidance counsellor of the academy as well as a teacher, brought back some of the vibrancy, but they weren't quite the same.

_I doubt they ever will be._

_Right?_

_Sasuke?_

"Have you been doing okay without the anti depressants?" Iruka asked. Naruto could see in his former sensei's eyes that he was having a difficult time dealing with the person he was now, a rather reserved person compared to the loudmouth he had once been, but people always change. Nothing ever stays the same.

Nobody lives forever.

"Yeah, I've been okay," Naruto nodded. " I can be happy without help from that stuff anymore, but it's kinda hard for it to be like before. I usually sleep well at night, and I've been okay dealing with other people."

"Usually?" Iruka raised an eyebrow.

Naruto felt his heart plummet into his stomach, leaving him horrified and empty for a few moments. The way Iruka raised a single eyebrow was the same way Sasuke used to when he was annoyed with him.

"_**You have to boil ramen, Naruto."**_

"_**Have we always held hands like this?"**_

"_**It takes losing someone to realize how much you care about them."**_

"Naruto, are you with me?"

Naruto plunged back into reality, Iruka's sudden voice making his heart beat with panic. He scratched the back of his head with an apologetic look, flashing the fake smile he had learned to adorn over the years. "Sorry, Iruka-sensei, I just spaced out for a bit. I guess I can't believe that I'm finally going to become Hokage today," he lied.

_I usually don't space out this much. I really am nervous about becoming Hokage, but..._

_You promised to be there._

_You will be...right?_

"Well, it's a big job, and I can understand why you're so nervous, but you're a good enough ninja to be one," Iruka took the bait, smiling. "You'll do a good job. You did kill Itachi and the leaders of Akatsuki, after all."

_He's been trying to help me for years, but he just doesn't quite see through my lies, my horrible lies. He has made me feel a little bit better about things though, so I can't really blame him._

_He's right about killing off Akatsuki though. I trained really hard with Jiraiya-sensei, and I was able to stop Itachi for you. It was weird...it was like he died before I killed him. The rest died from overusing their powers, but I guess I pushed them to their limits._

_You saw, didn't you?_

"Thanks," Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. "Anyway, I guess I usually sleep a normal amount, but I wake up sometimes in the middle of the night thinking about him."

Iruka cleared his throat, "Do you have dreams about him?"

"Yeah," he replied. "They're not like when I first started coming here, you know, when I'd wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares, you know, like the ones...the ones where the darkness stole him away from me and ki-killed him, but," he gulped, "but more like just memories of us together. I wake up when the memories turn into the ones where he got sick, especially the ones from where he, from where he...died. Sometimes he's healthy again and we're just talking as if we're both in heaven."

"So, what is your goal? What do you want to do about this?"

"I think," Naruto tested his words, "I think I want to be able to think about him without getting sad. I want to dream about the good parts of our life together, and if I have to dream about all the sad parts, I don't want to feel like crying. I've been able to live my life without him, but sometimes, it's just so hard. I like the ones where we're both in heaven together though."

"How is it hard, exactly?" Iruka questioned. "Remember that I'm here for you, Naruto. You can tell me anything you need to, and you have my word that nobody else will hear of it. It's great that you can talk to a healthy him again, but don't get carried away. Anyway..."

"Like, when I pass through the training fields, I remember lying there with him. I want to feel happy about the time we spent there rather than feel sad that we'll never spend time there again, you know?"

"You're halfway there already," the academy teacher smiled. "You already know what you want to do, and that means that getting there won't be as hard. Think of a good memory you had with Sasuke for me, and tell me about it."

"Mm," Naruto flipped through the memories inside his head. Images of them laughing together (more like Naruto laughing with Sasuke smirking), training together, even just talking together; he had so many good memories with him, but most were tainted by the fact that Sasuke could barely walk, was in a wheelchair, was in a hospital bed...

"There was one time that we went for karaoke. Sasuke didn't want to sing, but we argued a bit, and then he felt up to challenging me!" Naruto laughed, his voice jingling with pure happiness. "He sang really well too, but...I want to hear his voice again. That's what I mean by that I feel sad when I think of him."

"Now, Naruto, wasn't it fun singing with Sasuke?" Iruka questioned. "Aren't you glad you two did that?"

"Of course I am!" he grinned fully, his smile crinkling his eyes. "I wish we could do it again though."

"But what matters is that you two did it. You spent that time together, and it's a fond memory that you look back on sometimes. Don't be sad that you won't do it again. Be happy that you even did it. I want you to think about that. Sasuke was a nice boy, and I still think of him, but sometimes we have to let go."

"I know," Naruto smiled faintly. "Thanks Iruka-sensei. It helps to know that I'm not the only one that thinks about him."

"You've come so far, Naruto," Iruka patted Naruto on the shoulder. "When you first came here, I have to say, you weren't quite stable. Do you remember? Since then, you've learn-"

_Does he mean the nightmares? The flashbacks I couldn't escape from? The tightness in my chest that never went away?_

_The fact that it's so hard to give a real smile anymore?_

_It's not like I can't, and I will, but it's not the way it used to be._

"and you've changed since then, and I'm glad for you."

_It was you, Sasuke, who made me feel like changing. You were the one who said it wasn't my fault, the one who wanted me to live on without you._

"I still take the anxiety medication," Naruto mentioned. "I don't know, I guess sometimes I start thinking about things, and then I get carried away and can't handle it, so I haven't stopped tha-"

A gentle knock echoed through the room and the door opened. Haruno Sakura walked in, holding the hand of her son.

_He looks so much like you._

"Hello, Iruka-sensei! Do you mind if Naruto leaves now? We're running a little bit late for the inauguration."

"Sure thing, Sakura," Iruka nodded. "It's a little early, but I suppose the Hokage has to make sure he's ready for his big speech! Oh, congratulations on your becoming an advisor!"

"He's not Hokage yet," Sakura narrowed her eyes, but smiled, "and thank you! Well, anyway, we'll see you there!"

"Naruto, just promise me you'll remember what I always have told you," Iruka turned to face Naruto once more. "People never stop loving one another. It's okay if you still love Sasuke. However, when someone is gone, we have to learn to live without them."

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei," Naruto grimaced, but managed to give a small smile. "I tell myself that everyday."

Naruto stood up from his chair and straightened out his long, deep orange and black cloak. He thanked his sensei again before facing his family. Sakura motioned for Naruto to hurry. The little boy holding her hand beamed, his onyx eyes sparkling at the sight of Naruto.

"Naruto!" Mioku smiled sweetly. "Mommy made me go to the hospital today and get needles and weird tests! It hurt, and it was really scary." He whimpered a little, but smiled toothily.

"Aww, really?" Naruto pouted before looking up at Sakura. "Ouch, Mom, how could you make him go through that?"

"Ooh, Naruto, I'm just such a bad, horrible person," Sakura teased. "But I have to go back to the hospital to get the results of Mioku's tests, so you make sure to look after him!"

"See you later, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto winked before leaving the room with the other two, Iruka giving a wave in return.

"I'll see you at the ceremony!" Iruka called out before the door closed, sealing their fates.

"Mommy made you a cake today," Mioku grinned.

"Mioku, you weren't supposed to tell him that!" Sakura stuck her tongue out, causing Naruto to smile. Sakura and Mioku were the only ones ever able to penetrate the small, but visible layer of rock around Naruto's mangled, undersized heart. His heart and grown back since Sasuke's passing, no longer leaving Naruto empty, but it wasn't quite like it was before.

It never would be.

_Nobody really knows what I've gone through since then. Nobody really knows how I see you everywhere, how sometimes I can feel your soft touch against my skin, the warmth of your breath on my cheek..._

_Even if you are alive now, pain free, I still miss you. I still feel you with me, and it's like you're here and not here at the same time. I can hear your voice calling every time the wind blows._

"So, Naruto, are you ready?" Sakura asked curiously. "I'm glad you came here today, even if it wasn't for long. I know it's hard on you, especially today, but don't let yourself get too down! I brought Mioku to do the tests. I think it's time we know if he inherited _it_ or not."

"I know, Sakura-chan," Naruto nodded. "I just-"

_I need you to know everything. I know you're still with me; you promised you would be, but every time I think you're there, I turn to look and you're gone. Sometimes I see you watching me, but then you leave._

_I need to see you and know you'll listen to me. I don't think I can go on with the inauguration if I don't._

"Listen, Sakura-chan, I gotta go do something, so I'll see you later!" Naruto rushed past her. "Come on, Mioku, let's go!"

"Wait, Naruto, where are you going!" yelled Sakura, watching her son nervously as he ran to Naruto. "You better not be late to your own inauguration!"

Naruto raised a hand in acknowledgment as he grabbed Mioku's hand and took off.

* * *

"Naruto, why did we come here?" Mioku asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.

The wind was strong that day. It blew Mioku's black bangs out of his face, and only accentuated the natural spikes on the back of his head. Naruto clutched the necklace around his neck he had received from Sasuke as he stood before his lover's grave.

_Uchiha Sasuke_

_July 23rd, 1988- July 22nd, 2004_

_Despite his hardships, he carried on_

_Living his life until the last tear drop fell_

_May he always be remembered fondly_

"This is where your daddy's grave is, you know, with the rest of the Uchiha clan," Naruto bit his tongue, drawing a droplet of blood. "I thought we could pay him a visit first."

"Daddy?" Mioku asked. "Why is he here? You never tell me when I ask you!"

_It's time to tell him exactly what happened to his father...if things go badly and he ends up sick, he has a right to know._

Naruto kneeled down to be at eye-level with Mioku. "I met your father when we were both your age. We never really talked to each other until we were twelve. We hated each other at first, but after a while, we became friends. Best friends."

"How do you learn to like someone when you hated them?" the last Uchiha asked. "How does that happen?"

"We just discovered that we never really hated each other. It's easy to get love and hate confused," Naruto sighed. "About seven years ago, it was Sasuke's fourteenth birthday. Things happened, so Mommy and I discovered he was really sick."

"Sick?" Mioku asked yet again, filled with countless questions.

"Yeah, we were training when I got a hit in, and then...he didn't get up. He was coughing a lot, and he didn't look very well. I took him home because he didn't want to go to the hospital, and I left him in the hands of baa-chan."

"Do you mean The Fifth Hokage?" Mioku narrowed his eyes. "Mommy always tells me to address her properly!"

"Yeah, whatever, but it was her," the blond rolled his eyes. "When I got back from a mission, she told me because of something that had happened to him, it was unsafe for her to move him without being able to assess what was wrong with him. If he released the curse seal from the strain and loss of chakra from going to the hospital in his state, it could kill him," he paused. "I guess he was kind of unstable at that point, and sedating him could have hurt him more since she couldn't examine him properly. Anyway, we went on a mission, and because of his illness, he ended up getting hit and he had a seizure. I took him to the hospital, and he ended up nearly dying so many times, I..."

Naruto teared up, his voice cracking. Mioku looked into his eyes and frowned. "Why are you crying?"

"Sasuke had a problem with his heart because he was born earlier than he was supposed to be. There was also a problem in the construction of some stuff in his brain, so, um, he ended up very sick. He eventually died because of it."

_I can't tell your son that he might end up like that, dying of something so terrible, you know?_

Mioku smiled. "Did you love Daddy?"

Naruto paused at how the child could so easily see through him, just like his father. He smiled hopelessly. "Yeah, Mioku, I did. He loved me too."

"What was he like?"

"Well, he was a real bastard, a conceited one too," Naruto laughed quietly. "He acted like he was better than everyone else, but he had a good side to him too. He didn't let it show, but he really cared about Mommy and I. When faced with things hard to handle, he wanted to give up. He really didn't want to deal with his problems, but over time, he grew to realize that living was worth it. Don't ever forget that life is beautiful, okay?"

"Okay," he nodded. "You should talk to him now. I think he'd like that. He must be lonely since nobody ever talks to him here..."

Naruto froze. His cerulean eyes stared into eyes reminiscent of Sasuke's, horrified at the truth.

_I've been so busy concentrated on my own loneliness that I never bothered to think about Sasuke being lonely! Nobody ever talks to him or sees him, and I'm complaining when I have people that love me and talk to me everyday!_

"Mioku, you're a big boy," Naruto sniffed, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Can you go to the Hokage Tower by yourself and wait for me? I want to speak with your daddy alone."

"Okay!" the boy grinned toothily. Naruto's heart ached to see Sasuke's son, the son who looked so much like him, but it made him content at the same time.

_So bittersweet._

"Be careful!" he called out after the boy he considered his own son as he watched him scamper away. He chuckled lightly so himself, but then turned to face the tombstone.

"I know you're not really here at this cemetery," he spoke, "since I let your ashes blow away, but it makes it easier for me this way...it's like you'll listen to me for sure. You promised to stay with me, so maybe you're listening now."

The wind made Naruto shiver, and he took a seat on the grass. Staring at the tombstone and scanning the epitaph over, he gave a small smile. "Sakura-chan thought of it," he mentioned. "I was never really good at putting stuff into words like that."

With no response to his words, he laughed. "Why am I expecting a reply? I just...I just want to see you again."

The breeze was strengthening. It blew against Naruto's body, as if it were wrapping itself tightly against the blond's body. Naruto held his breath; he didn't know if it was a coincidence or not.

_It's not a coincidence...right?_

"Sasuke?"

The wind slowly died down, and Naruto frowned. "Sasuke, I know you wanted me to move on, but you were my first. You were my first kiss, my first friend, my first," he gulped, "love."

"I still remember the times we used to argue. We argued a lot when we first met each other, and although I said I hated you, I admired you. You were so strong, so calm, and I wanted to be just like you. I know that you loved me, but you just didn't know how to say it."

"Time passed, and we became really good friends, best friends even. You were like a brother to me, but then...things happened. You got sick, and things were never the same. I stayed by your side for the whole time you were in a coma, and I thought things would be okay after that, but they weren't," he began to fumble over his own words as his eyes stung. "Dammit, I don't want to cry now! I promised myself not to cry often...but I think our relationship got stronger when you got sick. I wish you were still here, but I would do anything to at least just see you at least smile once more!"

"I hated myself for not being able to help you or make you better. I swore to myself that I would try to make your life better by helping you out with things you couldn't do anymore, but it was so painful to watch you deteriorate like that." Tears leaked out of his eyes before he could even realize it, and he wiped his tears away with his sleeve. "From one moment to the next, I was suddenly stronger than you and had to protect you, and I realized that I felt strongly about you. I...I loved you."

"Damn," he swore again, "I try not to cry anymore, but sometimes it's hard not to. I break down every once in a while over you, but I always try to hold myself together for you. It's hard having your other half ripped away from you! I...I just can't take it sometimes!" he suddenly cried out. "Sometimes I wonder if I was ever insensitive to how you felt, and I always wondered if I did something wrong. I used to always blame myself over your death because I'm the one that gave you the medication, but Iruka-sensei helped me to try to realize that it wasn't my fault. Sometimes though, I wonder what would have happened if you had lived any longer."

"I sometimes got angry at you for dying. It made me mad that you could give into something like that, but that wasn't fair of me to think that. I blamed myself when I realized that, but after reading your letter, I knew I had to stop. I believe every word you wrote, but I still miss you. I've moved on enough to live properly, but I never stop thinking about you."

Naruto paused, hoping for any sign that Sasuke had heard his words. With the lack of response, he sighed. "I killed your brother for you. He died by my hand, but the weird thing is that he died with a smile on his face. I don't know why, but it was like he was happy to finally die. Weird, huh? He also said something about forgiveness, but I don't know why. I'm just glad that I could fulfill my promise to you."

He hesitated, taking the chance to dry his eyes with the back of his hand. "I would never EVER take back that time I spent with you after I gave you the medication. That hour was the best of my life!"

He felt the wind come back to life, but not as strongly as before, and it caressed his calloused skin. Naruto felt his lips curve into a smile, but he let his head hang, tears slipping out of his eyes.

"Dammit, it's not fair!" he sniffed. "You didn't even make it to be sixteen...life is cruel, and I hate it sometimes, but it has its good moments. The people that loved both you and me taught me that. Life would have sucked even more if I hadn't ever met you." He paused, not quite sure if to expect something or not. "I never really had a friend as good as you, nor a person who loved me like you did."

"I see you everywhere. When I wake up in the morning, I swear I can feel your body next to mine. I can almost swear that I feel your breath on my cheek in the mornings and your voice whispering my name. When I talk to people, I see you in them. I guess that's what you meant by you're always with me, so it's not as lonely as it could be, but still...we can never do things together the same way as we did before again."

"I still miss you, even if you're here with me, Sasuke. You promised you would watch me become Hokage. I'll be looking for you out there, okay?"

Naruto waited, his breath hitched and his voice stuck in his throat. His stomach was knotted up, and he felt almost nauseous. He felt his cheeks turn bright scarlet, and he prayed that his voice had reached his lover.

Nothing happened.

Naruto stood up and wiped the blades of grass off his pants. "Yeah, what was I thinking? I'm so selfish..." He walked towards the exit, the wind dead around him.

"I'm such a fool."

* * *

"Crap."

The entire road towards the Hokage Tower was blocked with citizens, each of them yelling about the tardiness of the Hokage. Naruto bit his lip; Sakura would kill him for sure. Huffing, he jumped onto a building hastily with his ninja skills, and he raced across the rooftops towards the Hokage Tower. Some people below pointed at him, and Naruto scurried faster, appearing before everyone as he leaped out towards the Hokage Tower's roof. He landed on the roof with surprising ease. Sakura, Mioku and Tsunade stood on the roof, both miffed at Naruto's later appearance.

"You're late," Tsunade huffed, the Hokage hat sitting on top of her head.

"Naruto, what did I tell you!" Sakura narrowed her eyes, holding Mioku's hand. The child grinned up at Naruto, smirking mischievously. Naruto felt a pang of anguish in his chest, but ignored it.

"The test results were good, right?" Naruto grinned, ignoring the complaints of being late.

Sakura's eyes suddenly watered, and she sniffed. "Oh, Naruto..."

Naruto's mangled heart pounded, and a flush of anxiety spiraled through his body. He clung onto a the single thread of hope that remained inside his chest, and he waited in silence for Sakura to finish.

"Oh God, Naruto...he's okay. He's gonna be okay!"

The anxious feeling inside of him evaporated away, and vitality shone within his eyes. His heart hammered against his chest with excitement, but before he could say anything, Tsunade interrupted.

"After the passing of Koharu, one of our village's beloved advisors, Haruno Sakura here will be replacing her position as an advisor to the Hokage," Tsunade announced to the endless sea of people. "Please congratulate her on her new position, but grieve the loss of Koharu as well. Also, as of today, I am stepping down from the position of Fifth Hokage! Uzumaki Naruto is the Sixth Hokage of Konohagakure!" The blonde woman removed her hat and placed it on Naruto's head.

"Congratulations, Uzumaki Naruto!"

The audience erupted with cheers, clapping wildly for the blond. Naruto gazed out in shock; his heart was pounding too hard for him to say anything. He was overwhelmed, but so elated that the boy he considered his son was healthy and the whole village was cheering for him.

"Congrats, Naruto," Sakura grinned. "You just have to make a speech now!"

"Congratulations, Naruto!" Mioku beamed up at his surrogate father.

Naruto faced the crowd, and he swallowed with difficulty. His eyes scanned through the crowd; although countless people he loved were there like Kakashi, Iruka, Rock Lee, Ino, Neji, Kiba, Choji, and others, there was one person he needed to see.

He couldn't see him.

"He's not-" Naruto was suddenly cut off.

"You screw-up," someone breathed inside his ear. "I told you that you wouldn't have to look for me because I'd be right here."

The wind blew furiously through Konoha, twirling the emerald leaves within the air. The blond froze in utter shock, and his head turned robotically to face the man who stood beside him.

"Sasu-"

"Now, Hokage-sama," Tsunade smiled, "introduce yourself to the village."

"Do it," Sasuke hissed into Naruto's ear. He reached for his lover's hand, Naruto still gazing at him in shock. Sasuke smirked and gave the Hokage a playful shove with his free hand. "Hurry up. You've dreamed of this."

Naruto nodded, but he couldn't get over the shock of the person most important to him standing beside him.

Sasuke's features were immaculate. His skin was pale, but healthy. His lips were full, and they smirked at the blond. His coal eyes were full of vitality, and they reflected a smug playfulness. His jet black hair had grown out a bit, his bangs framing his flawless, exquisite visage. The simple, low cut, obsidian shirt he wore showed off his chiseled chest, and his black pants were smooth and unwrinkled.

Uchiha Sasuke was perfect, the very definition of a paragon.

_...Can't anyone else see him?_

"Thanks for coming today, everyone," Naruto gulped, quite unsure of what to say. He knew he should have prepared a speech, but he was never good at writing. "I, Uzumaki Naruto, am the Sixth Hokage."

Sasuke squeezed Naruto's hand.

Naruto quickly racked through his mind, trying to find the right words to say, but none came to him. He turned to Sasuke, begging for help with his eyes. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" he mocked the Hokage. "Too stupid to think of what to say?"

"Shut up!" he yelled, his temper rising playfully.

"Naruto?"

Naruto whirled around to meet Sakura's eyes. Her face expressed concern, but her eyes screamed a don't-mess-this-up-or-I'll-kill-you expression. The villagers below Naruto were whispering with curiosity, and Naruto glowed red.

_They can't see him._

"I mean, um, don't shut up, um, yeah! I'll always be at the Hokage Tower for you citizens of Konoha to express your, uh, concerns!"

Sasuke shook his head and whispered, "You fool." Naruto had to bite his lip to keep himself from reacting angrily. Suddenly, the lightbulb in his head went off.

_I don't care what they think. They all know what happened between Sasuke and I anyway._

"I once knew a guy," Naruto started, looking across the crowd of people, "that I thought was the rudest bastard to ever walk this planet. That is, I convinced myself of that because I wanted to be just like him, be better than him, because he was all I ever aspired to be. Because of him, I trained my ass off to get to where I am today."

"That guy turned out to be the best friend I've ever had and more, and I'm not afraid to say it; I loved him."

That last statement met with the disapproval of some citizens, who began to shake their heads in dismay and mutter some harsh insults.

"That emotion, love, is the best feeling a person can ever experience. Love is indiscriminate, and I want to protect this village with that love!" Naruto gazed up into the sky, passion clearly displayed within his cerulean orbs. "You can fall in love with anyone really, and that pure emotion can fuel people to do great things. I'll never forget that guy because I still love him. With his memory and love I will treat the village with the utmost care! I swear, I'll be the best Hokage there ever was!"

Some villagers were taken aback with Naruto's theory on love, and some mulled on it while others were furious. A few were ecstatic, and they cheered for the Hokage.

"Thank you," Sasuke muttered, his voice sending chills down Naruto's spine.

Naruto looked at him quizzically before returning to face the audience. "From this day on until I die, I will love and protect this village! Thank you everyone!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

"Yeah, Hokage-sama, you tell them!"

"We're counting on you!"

"Hmph, as long as you're good enough to protect the village, I can't really complain!"

Of course, you can never please everybody. Some people stalked off in anger, and some even heckled, but their cruel words of 'faggot', 'homo', and 'gay ass' were barely heard over the applause people gave the Hokage. Naruto hoped that they would accept him for who he was, and he hoped to always be honest with them.

"Thanks for what?" Naruto mumbled back over the crowd's cheers.

"Hn," Sasuke smirked. "You know, I've been with you everyday, although you've been too stupid to realize it. I really am there when you wake up, and I'm always standing beside you. I've been listening."

"I'm sorry. I can't believe I doubted you," he grinned embarrassedly, putting his free arm behind his back. "Thanks for coming, Sasuke."

"Idiot," he threw him a complacent look. A look of resolution appeared in his eyes, but remained soft. He released Naruto's hand from his grip and walked over to the other side of the stage, leaving the blond confused. Sasuke smirked and crouched down beside Mioku.

"Hey, Mioku," he ran his pale, nimble fingers through his son's hair.

"Daddy?"

The little boy tilted his head, confused by his father's sudden appearance in his eyes.

"That's right," Sasuke's lips twitched upwards. "I've wanted to talk to you for a while."

"Are you leaving again?" Mioku asked innocently.

Sasuke nodded, "I have to. I can't come back again, but I'll be waiting for you. I want you to know that I love you."

Naruto watched the scene before him with tears sparkling in his eyes. Sakura didn't notice, nor could she even see Sasuke in front of her.

"Fine," Mioku grinned. "I'll see you again, Daddy! I love you too!"

With that, Sasuke stood up on his own two feet, and he turned back to face Naruto, looking complete. "I can't come back like this again," he mentioned, "but I'll still be with you. Live on without me," he hesitated.

"Live on forever."

With that, thousands of small, glittering lights appeared around the Uchiha. Sasuke's body slowly became transparent, and he strolled forward, his hands in his pockets. His lips twitched yet again, but then stayed in a curved position, his silent smile as bright as the lights around him.

"Wait, Sasuke!" Naruto reached out for his lover, but Sasuke walked straight through him. A spine-chilling, icy, yet warm feeling coursed throughout his body. Thousands of memories and emotions flashed through his mind within seconds: the times they laughed together, the times they argued, the times they fought, the time Sasuke saw his family get murdered right in front of him. A strange wave of anger, hatred, sadness, but a tiny bit of happiness were left behind like an aftertaste on his tongue as Sasuke's body disappeared within the sparkling lights.

And then he was gone.

Although Sasuke had disappeared from Naruto's sight, the wind didn't die down. The spring breeze blew as strongly as ever and cooled Naruto's soul down; it helped to untangle the thorns around his heart.

"Naruto, who were you and Mioku talking to?" Sakura asked curiously as the cheers of the crowd slowly died down.

Naruto smiled.

"Just someone special."

_Life is beautiful._

**owari.**

**

* * *

**

owari means "the end."

A/N: Wow, it's been quite the journey with you guys! Thanks you to all reviewers, all people who have added this to their favorites or alerts, or to anyone who read it at all. Thanks for staying with me through my first Naruto multi-chapter, and I hope I didn't disappoint you. I might go back and fix up some old chapters since I'm more experienced now, but it's you guys, especially you reviewers, that have helped me to fix up my writing.

Thanks guys. Peace out.

~ Eclipsed Oblivion


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